title: Chemical attenuation of pilus function and assembly in Gram-negative bacteria.
abstract: Bacteria express a multitude of hair-like adhesive appendages on their cell surfaces, together referred to as pili or fimbriae. In Gram-negative bacteria, these proteinaceous structures are assembled through a number of dedicated secretion pathways including the chaperone-usher pathway, the nucleation/precipitation pathway and the type IV pilus pathway. Pili are prevalent in pathogenic strains and play important roles in the establishment and persistence of bacterial infections by mediating host cell adhesion, cell invasion or biofilm formation. Their indispensible roles in pathogenesis render them attractive targets for directed therapeutic intervention. Here, we describe the recent advances in the chemical attenuation of pilus-associated virulence in Gram-negative bacteria.
authors: Structural and Molecular Microbiology, VIB Department of Structural Biology, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors: Alvin W H
authors: AW
authors: Lo
authors: Kristof
authors: K
authors: Moonens
authors: Han
authors: H
authors: Remaut
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes