Cell - 8 September 2016

Article

Structure of the Bacterial Sex F Pilus Reveals an

Assembly of a Stoichiometric Protein-Phospholipid

Complex

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

d The atomic structures of the F pilus and an F-like pilus are

solved by cryo-EM

d The structure reveals an assembly of a protein-phospholipid

complex unit

d Mutations at subunit-lipid interfaces affect phage infection

and conjugation

d The structure elucidates the molecular basis for DNA transfer

and phage attachment

Authors

Tiago R.D. Costa, Aravindan Ilangovan,

Marta Ukleja, ..., Terry K. Smith,

Edward H. Egelman, Gabriel Waksman

Correspondence

[email protected] (E.H.E.),

[email protected] (G.W.)

In Brief

Conjugative pili, the appendages that

enable DNA transfer between bacteria,

are not made only of protein but, as near-

atomic resolution cryoEM reveals, are

assemblies of stoichiometric protein-

phospholipid units, with the phospholipid

component suited to electrochemically

facilitating DNA transport.

Data Resources

5LEG

5LFB

5LER

Costa et al., 2016, Cell 166 , 1436–1444

September 8, 2016ª2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.08.025