MICRB265 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Treponema Pallidum, Spirochaete, Flagellin

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Microbiology (Biological Sciences)
• Course: MICRB265
• Professor: Perrin Beatty

Document Summary

Attachment to surfaces via adhesins: pili and fimbriae, related structures found on the surface of some gram negative cells, rigid, hollow protein tubes, anchored in the cell membrane and extending through the cell wall, sex pili. Used for bacterial conjugation (transfer of dna between cells) Longer and fewer per cell than fimbriae (described below) They are typically encoded on certain plasmids (e. g. f or fertility plasmid): A donor cell with the f plasmid forms one or more f pili. The pilus tip interacts with a recipient cell lacking the plasmid. Close contact is made and a copy of the plasmid is transferred to the recipient. Both cells are now donor cells and can continue to transfer copies of the plasmid. Pilus is target for specific bacterial viruses (bacteriophage) Can be important mechanism of disseminating antibiotic resistance genes on plasmids: fimbriae (adhesion pili): Shorter and more numerous per cell than sex pili.