Publications by authors named "Wesley X Wen"

Microbial surface and secreted proteins (the secretome) contain a large number of proteins that interact with other microbes, host and/or environment. These proteins are exported by the coordinated activities of the protein secretion machinery present in the cell. A group of bacteriophage, called filamentous phage, have the ability to hijack bacterial protein secretion machinery in order to amplify and assemble via a secretion-like process.

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F-specific filamentous phage of Escherichia coli (Ff: f1, M13, or fd) are long thin filaments (860 nm × 6 nm). They have been a major workhorse in display technologies and bionanotechnology; however, some applications are limited by the high length-to-diameter ratio of Ff. Furthermore, use of functionalized Ff outside of laboratory containment is in part hampered by the fact that they are genetically modified viruses.

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Secretins are a family of large bacterial outer membrane channels that serve as exit ports for folded proteins, filamentous phage and surface structures. Despite the large size of their substrates, secretins do not compromise the barrier function of the outer membrane, implying a gating mechanism. The region in the primary structure that forms the putative gate has not previously been determined for any secretin.

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