High impact information on pilB

• Two genes flanking pilT were also sequenced, and found to have homology to pilB and pilC from P. aeruginosa [1].
• However, the fimN and fimO genes did not complement pilB or pilC mutants, respectively [2].
• DNA sequences capable of initiating transcription when fused to a promoterless lacZ gene have been identified in the pilA-pilB and pilB-pilC intergenic regions [3].
• Insertion of the omega fragment containing strong transcriptional terminators into pilB, pilC, and pilD failed to have a polar effect on expression of downstream genes, as determined by the ability of each cloned gene to complement, in trans, the corresponding insertionally inactivated chromosomal copy [3].
• In comparison with the pil gene cluster in P. aeruginosa, a gene homologous to pilB is lacking in the P. putida gene cluster [4].

Biological context of pilB

• One of the components of this machinery is the product of the xcpR gene, which is homologous to pilB, a gene encoding a protein essential for the biogenesis of type IV pili [5].
• This region was physically mapped to a SpeI fragment around 20 min on the P. aeruginosa PAO chromosome, remote from the major fimbrial locus (around 75 min) where the structural subunit-encoding gene (fimA/pilA) and ancillary genes required for fimbrial assembly (pilB, C and D) are found [6].
• Further sequencing revealed that pilC is clustered in an operon with genes homologous to pilB and pilD of P. aeruginosa, which are also involved in pilus formation [7].

Associations of pilB with chemical compounds

• The codons of highly conserved glycine residues within the Walker sequences of xcpR and pilB were altered to encode a serine, and the effects of these substitutions were examined [5].

References