Type IV pili are a family of appendage protein filaments that are assembled on the surfaces of many different microorganisms, such as bacteria and archea. The wide range of diverse microorganisms within the type IV pili family indicates that there must be both a common evolutionary origin, as well as a versatile functionality (Giltner, Nguyen and Burrows 2012). The formation of type IV pili occurs when the enzyme PilD, first recognized in the bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa, catalyzes the breakdown of proteins into smaller subunits (i.e. smaller polypetides and amino acids), as well as N-methylation of the first amino acid of the pilin subunit, the major subunit of the type IV pili (Strom and Lory 1993).
Type IV pili are often found
Type IV pili are often found