title: The molecular dissection of the chaperone-usher pathway.
abstract: Secretion systems are specialized in transport of proteins, DNA or nutrients across the cell envelope of bacteria and enable them to communicate with their environment. The chaperone-usher (CU) pathway is used for assembly and secretion of a large family of long adhesive protein polymers, termed pili, and is widespread among Gram-negative pathogens [1]. Moreover, recent evidence has indicated that CU secretion systems are also involved in sporulation [2,3]. In this review we focus on the structural biology of the paradigmatic type 1 and P pili CU systems encoded by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), where recent progress has provided unprecedented insights into pilus assembly and secretion mechanism. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein trafficking and secretion in bacteria. Guest Editors: Anastassios Economou and Ross Dalbey.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London and Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London, WC1E7HX, UK.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geibel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London and Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London, WC1E7HX, UK. Electronic address: g.waksman@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Waksman
mesh_terms: D018830:Adhesins, Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D021381:Protein Transport; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D018830:Adhesins, Escherichia coli; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; C058769:fimH protein, E coli; C076610:fimbriae receptor, type 1; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins
keywords: Chaperone–usher pathway; Donor strand complementation; Donor strand exchange; P pilus; Type 1 pilus; Urinary tract infection