The pilus type 1 of uropathogenic E. coli must resist mechanical forces to remain attached to the epithelium. Here the authors use single-molecule force spectroscopy to demonstrate a hierarchy of mechanical stability among the pilus domains and show that the oxidoreductase DsbA also acts as a folding chaperone on the domains.
- Alvaro Alonso-Caballero
- Jörg Schönfelder
- Raul Perez-Jimenez
