Tohru Minamino

Biophysics and Physicobiology

Structural basis for substrate specificity switching revealed by the FlhA(A489E) suppressor mutation

The flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) switches its substrate specificity from hook-type to filament-type upon completion of hook assembly. This process is regulated by the coordinated actions of FliK, FlhB, and FlhA, but the structural mechanism underlying substrate specificity switching remains unclear. Here...

Structural characterization of a pseudaminic acid-modified lateral flagellar filament from Vibrio alginolyticus

It is demonstrated that the Vibrio lateral flagellar filament is extensively modified by pseudaminic acid and that Maf is required for filament formation, the first structural characterization of a glycosylated Vibrio lateral flagellar filament and a close link between flagellin glycosylation and motility organelle ass...

FlgJ cell-wall hydrolyzing activity enhances, but is not required, for flagellum assembly in Salmonella enterica

Salmonella can assemble functional flagella, even when the acetylglucosaminidase activity of FlgJ is genetically inactivated, showing that early steps in flagellar assembly are more diverse than previously thought and that differences in cell wall structure between gram-positive and -negative bacteria likely determine...