Cranberry Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Cranberry, including details on benefits, antioxidants, utis, cystitis.

The solution structure of the invasive tip complex from Afa/Dr fibrils.

Cota E, Jones C, Simpson P, Altroff H, Anderson KL, du Merle L, Guignot J, Servin A, Le Bouguénec C, Mardon H, Matthews S

Division of Molecular Biosciences, Biochemistry Building, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK.

Afa/Dr family of adhesins are produced by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains that are especially prevalent in chronic diarrhoeal and recurrent urinary tract infections. Most notably, they are found in up to 50% of cystitis cases in children and 30% of pyelonephritis in pregnant women. Afa/Dr adhesins are capped surface fibrils that mediate recognition of the host and subsequent bacterial internalization. Using the newly solved three-dimensional structure of the minimal invasive complex (AfaDE) combined with biochemical and cellular assays, we reveal the architecture of the fibrillar cap and identify a novel mode of synergistic integrin recognition.

Published 5 October 2006 in Mol Microbiol, 62(2): 356-66.
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