@article{mbs:/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-117-2-455, author = "Willetts, N. S. and Moore, P. M. and Paranchych, W.", title = "Variant Pili Produced by Mutants of the Flac Plasmid", journal= "Microbiology", year = "1980", volume = "117", number = "2", pages = "455-464", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-117-2-455", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-117-2-455", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2080", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "Transfer-proficient Flac mutants with reduced abilities to plate various F-specific phages were isolated, either by selection after mutagenesis, or as revertants of Flac traA mutants. In many of the mutants pilus-related properties were altered, including physical adsorption of R17 phage, the number of pili per cell and the outgrowth/retraction equilibrium. Complementation studies showed that the mutations were in traA, suggesting that specific alterations in the amino-acid sequence of the pilin subunit protein were responsible for the altered pilus properties. Complementation between the Flac traA mutants and the derepressed plasmid R100-1 restored phage sensitivity in some cases, suggesting that the incorporation of both mutant and R100-1 subunits into the pilus structure may result in conformational changes which increase the capacity of the pilus to interact with phages.", }