Large pilin subunits provide 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 IV pili (T4P) are ubiquitous bacterial cell surface filaments important for surface motility, adhesion to biotic and abiotic surfaces, DNA uptake, biofilm formation, and virulence. T4P 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 the major pilins of structurally characterized T4P have lengths of up to 161 residues, the major pilin PilA of