Structural conservation and functional role of TfpY-like proteins in type IV pilus assembly

Type IV pili (T4P) are important virulence factors that allow bacteria to adhere to and rapidly colonize their hosts. T4P are primarily composed of major pilins that undergo cycles of extension and retraction and minor pilins that initiate pilus assembly. Bacteriophages use T4P as receptors and exploit pilus dynamics to infect their hosts. Some bacteria encode pilin accessory proteins that post-translationally glycosylate major pilins to evade …