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Bacterial Cell Surfaces pp 53–75Cite as

Experimental Manipulation of the Microbial Functional Amyloid Called Curli

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 966))

Abstract

Curli are proteinaceous fibrous structures produced on the surface of many gram-negative bacteria. As a major constituent of the extracellular matrix, curli mediate interactions between the bacteria and its environment, and as such, curli play a critical role in biofilm formation. Curli fibers share biophysical properties with a growing number of remarkably stable and ordered protein aggregates called amyloid. Here we describe experimental methods to study the biogenesis and assembly of curli by exploiting their amyloid properties. We also present methods to analyze curli-mediated biofilm formation. These approaches are straightforward and can easily be adapted to study other bacterially produced amyloids.

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Acknowledgments

We thank members of the Chapman laboratory for helpful discussions and review of this manuscript. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant AI073847.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Development Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Yizhou Zhou, Daniel R. Smith, David A. Hufnagel & Matthew R. Chapman

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  1. Yizhou Zhou
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  2. Daniel R. Smith
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  3. David A. Hufnagel
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  4. Matthew R. Chapman
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Correspondence to Matthew R. Chapman .

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  1. , Dept. of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Calhoun Road 4800, Houston, 77004, Texas, USA

    Anne H. Delcour

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Zhou, Y., Smith, D.R., Hufnagel, D.A., Chapman, M.R. (2013). Experimental Manipulation of the Microbial Functional Amyloid Called Curli. In: Delcour, A. (eds) Bacterial Cell Surfaces. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 966. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-245-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-245-2_4

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

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