Dynamics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae attachment: microcolony development, cortical plaque formation, and cytoprotection.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the bacterium that causes gonorrhea, a major sexually transmitted disease and a significant cofactor for human immunodeficiency virus transmission. The retactile N. gonorrhoeae type IV pilus (Tfp) mediates twitching motility and attachment.

The pilus and porin of Neisseria gonorrhoeae cooperatively induce Ca(2+) transients in infected epithelial cells.

Purified pili and porin from Neisseria quickly mobilize calcium (Ca(2+)) stores in monocytes and epithelial cells, ultimately influencing host cell viability as well as bacterial intracellular survival. Here, we examined the Ca(2+) transients induced in human epithelial cells during infection by live, piliated N. gonorrhoeae.

PilT is required for PI(3,4,5)P3-mediated crosstalk between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and epithelial cells.

The retractile type IV pilus participates in a number of fundamental bacterial processes, including motility, DNA transformation, fruiting body formation and attachment to host cells. Retraction of the N. gonorrhoeae type IV pilus requires a functional pilT.