title: Type IV pilus biogenesis, twitching motility, and DNA uptake in Thermus thermophilus: discrete roles of antagonistic ATPases PilF, PilT1, and PilT2.
abstract: Natural transformation has a large impact on lateral gene flow and has contributed significantly to the ecological diversification and adaptation of bacterial species. Thermus thermophilus HB27 has emerged as the leading model organism for studies of DNA transporters in thermophilic bacteria. Recently, we identified a zinc-binding polymerization nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase), PilF, which is essential for the transport of DNA through the outer membrane. Here, we present genetic evidence that PilF is also essential for the biogenesis of pili. One of the most challenging questions was whether T. thermophilus has any depolymerization NTPase acting as a counterplayer of PilF. We identified two depolymerization NTPases, PilT1 (TTC1621) and PilT2 (TTC1415), both of which are required for type IV pilus (T4P)-mediated twitching motility and adhesion but dispensable for natural transformation. This suggests that T4P dynamics are not required for natural transformation. The latter finding is consistent with our suggestion that in T. thermophilus, T4P and natural transformation are linked but distinct systems.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Microbiology & Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salzer
authors.forename: Friederike
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Joos
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Averhoff
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D061269:DNA Transformation Competence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D016963:Thermus thermophilus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases