Type IV filament explained

The type IV filament superfamily (TFF) is a group of fibrous protein structures that includes a set of cell projections with evolutionarily related membrane proteins.^[1] The TFF family seems to have originated in the last universal common ancestor, from where it diversified into archaella, type IV pili, type II secretion systems, and the Tad pili.^[2]

Complexes in the TFF superfamily are unified by the presence of the eponymous type IV pilin, an AAA+ ATPase, an integral (cytoplasmic) membrane (IM) platform, and (with the exception of MSH) a prepilin peptidase.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Berry JL, Pelicic V . Exceptionally widespread nanomachines composed of type IV pilins: the prokaryotic Swiss Army knives . FEMS Microbiology Reviews . 39 . 1 . 134–54 . January 2015 . 25793961 . 4471445 . 10.1093/femsre/fuu001 .
2. Denise R, Abby SS, Rocha EP . Diversification of the type IV filament superfamily into machines for adhesion, protein secretion, DNA uptake, and motility . PLOS Biology . 17 . 7 . e3000390 . July 2019 . 31323028 . 6668835 . 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000390 . Beeby M . free .