Tetratricopeptide Repeat Motifs in the World of Bacterial Pathogens : Role in Virulence Mechanisms

• The tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) structural motif is known to occur in a wide variety of proteins present in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The TPR motif represents an elegant module for the assembly of various multiprotein complexes, and thus, TPR-containing proteins often play roles in vital cell processes. As the TPR profile is well defined, the complete TPR protein repertoire of a bacterium with a known genomic sequence can be predicted. This provides a tremendous opportunity for investigators to identify new TPR-containing proteins and study them in detail. In the past decade, TPR-containing proteins of bacterial pathogens have been reported to be directly related to virulence-associated functions. In this minireview, we summarize the current knowledge of the TPR-containing proteins involved in virulence mechanisms of bacterial pathogens while high-lighting the importance of TPR motifs for the proper functioning of class II chaperones of a type III secretion system in the pathogenesis of Yersinia, Pseudomonas, and Shigella.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Immunologi inom det medicinska området (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Immunology in the medical area (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

for (subject category)