Pseudomonas aeruginosa Gene Products PilT and PilU Are Required for Cytotoxicity In Vitro and Virulence in a Mouse Model of Acute Pneumonia

• DOI: 10.1128/iai.67.7.3625-3630.1999
• Publication Date: 2019-12-31T15:36:34Z
• Authors: James C. Comolli; Alan R. Hauser; Leslie Waite; Cynthia B. Whitch...; John S. Mattick; Joanne N. Engel
• Keywords: rpoN; Fimbriae Proteins

ABSTRACT Type IV pili of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa mediate twitching motility and act as receptors for bacteriophage infection. They are also important bacterial adhesins, nonpiliated mutants P. have been shown to cause less epithelial cell damage in vitro decreased virulence animal models. This finding raises question whether reduction cytotoxicity primarily due defects adhesion or loss motility, both. work describes role PilT PilU, putative nucleotide-binding proteins involved function, mediating injury vivo. Mutants pilT pilU retain surface but lost motility. In three different lines, strain PAK caused than wild-type more isogenic, pilA rpoN mutants. The showed reduced association with these same lines compared both wild type, surprisingly, a mutant. mouse model acute pneumonia, colonization liver not lung relative parental strain, though they exhibited no change ability mortality. These results demonstrate that pilus function mediated by PilU is required adherence toward cells