Nanoscale Adhesion Forces of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type IV Pili

• Published in: ACS nano Vol. 8; no. 10; pp. 10723 - 10733
• Main Authors: Beaussart, Audrey, Baker, Amy E, Kuchma, Sherry L, El-Kirat-Chatel, Sofiane, O’Toole, George A, Dufrêne, Yves F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 28.10.2014
• Subjects: Adhesion; Bacteria; Bacterial Adhesion; Constants; Fimbriae, Bacterial - physiology; Microscopy; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - physiology; Shear; Spectroscopy; chemical force microscopy; single-cell force spectroscopy; pathogens; AFM; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; mechanics; adhesion; type IV pili

A variety of bacterial pathogens use nanoscale protein fibers called type IV pili to mediate cell adhesion, a primary step leading to infection. Currently, how these nanofibers respond to mechanical stimuli and how this response is used to control adhesion is poorly understood. Here, we use atomic f...