Suppression of an absolute defect in Type IV pilus biogenesis by loss-of-function mutations in pilT, a twitching motility gene in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Matthew Wolfgang, Hae Sun Park, Stanley F. Hayes, Jos P.M. Van Putten, Michael Koomey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

125 Scopus citations

Abstract

Type IV pili of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the Gram-negative etiologic agent of gonorrhea, facilitate colonization of the human host. Gonococcal PilT, a protein belonging to a large family of molecules sharing a highly conserved nucleotide binding domain motif, has been shown to be dispensable for organelle biogenesis but essential for twitching motility and competence for genetic transformation. Here, we show that the defect in pilus biogenesis resulting from mutations in the pilC gene, encoding a putative pilus-associated adhesin for human tissue, can be suppressed by the absence of functional PilT. These data conclusively demonstrate that PilT influences the Type IV pilus biogenesis pathway and strongly suggest that organelle expression is a dynamic process. In addition, these findings imply that PilT antagonizes the process of organelle biogenesis and provide the basis for a model for how the counteractive roles of PilT and PilC might relate mechanistically to the phenomenon of twitching motility.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)14973-14978
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume95
Issue number25
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 8 1998
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Suppression of an absolute defect in Type IV pilus biogenesis by loss-of-function mutations in pilT, a twitching motility gene in Neisseria gonorrhoeae'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this