Tight-packing of large pilin subunits provides distinct structural and mechanical properties for the
Anke Treuner-Lange, Weili Zheng, Albertus Viljoen, Steffi Lindow, Marco Herfurth, Yves F Dufrêne, Lotte Søgaard-Andersen, Edward H EgelmanAbstract
Type IVa pili (T4aP) are ubiquitous cell surface filaments important for surface motility, adhesion to surfaces, DNA uptake, biofilm formation, and virulence. T4aP are built from thousands of copies of the major pilin subunit and tipped by a complex composed of minor pilins and in some systems also the PilY1 adhesin. While major pilins of structurally characterized T4aP have lengths of <165 residues, the major pilin PilA of