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    Type IV secretion systems: versatility and diversity in function

    Walldén, Karin and Rivera-Calzada, A. and Waksman, Gabriel (2010) Type IV secretion systems: versatility and diversity in function. Cellular Microbiology 12 (9), pp. 1203-1212. ISSN 1462-5814.

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    Abstract

    Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are large protein complexes which traverse the cell envelope of many bacteria. They contain a channel through which proteins or protein-DNA complexes can be translocated. This translocation is driven by a number of cytoplasmic ATPases which might energize large conformational changes in the translocation complex. The family of T4SSs is very versatile, shown by the great variety of functions among family members. Some T4SSs are used by pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria to translocate a wide variety of virulence factors into the host cell. Other T4SSs are utilized to mediate horizontal gene transfer, an event that greatly facilitates the adaptation to environmental changes and is the basis for the spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. Here we review the recent advances in the characterization of the architecture and mechanism of substrate transfer in a few representative T4SSs with a particular focus on their diversity of structure and function.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Natural Sciences
    Research Centres and Institutes: Structural Molecular Biology, Institute of (ISMB)
    Depositing User: Administrator
    Date Deposited: 26 May 2011 11:06
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 16:55
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/3467

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