This study investigated the structural and mechanical properties of Klebsiella pneumoniae type 3 fimbriae, which constitute a known virulence factor for the bacterium. Transmission electron microscopy and optical tweezers were used to understand the ability of the bacterium to survive flushes. An individual K. pneumoniae type 3 fimbria exhibited a helix-like structure with a pitch of 4.1 nm and a three-phase force-extension curve. The fimbria was first nonlinearly stretched with increasing force. Then, it started to uncoil and extended several micrometers at a fixed force of 66 ؎ 4 pN (n ‫؍‬ 22). Finally, the extension of the fimbria shifted to the third phase, with a characteristic force of 102 ؎ 9 pN (n ‫؍‬ 14) at the inflection point. Compared with the P fimbriae and type 1 fimbriae of uropathogenic Escherichia coli, K. pneumoniae type 3 fimbriae have a larger pitch in the helix-like structure and stronger uncoiling and characteristic forces.

The Klebsiella pneumoniae type 3 fimbriae are mainly composed of MrkA pilins that assemble into a helixlike filament. This study determined the biomechanical properties of the fimbriae and analyzed 11 site-directed MrkA mutants to identify domains that are critical for the properties. Escherichia coli strains expressing type 3 fimbriae with an Ala substitution at either F34, V45, C87, G189, T196, or Y197 resulted in a significant reduction in biofilm formation. The E. coli strain expressing MrkAG189A remained capable of producing a normal number of fimbriae. Although F34A, V45A, T196A, and Y197A substitutions expressed on E. coli strains produced sparse quantities of fimbriae, no fimbriae were observed on the cells expressing MrkAC87A. Further investigations of the mechanical properties of the MrkAG189A fimbriae with optical tweezers revealed that, unlike the wild-type fimbriae, the uncoiling force for MrkAG189A fimbriae was not constant. The MrkAG189A fimbriae also exhibited a lower enthalpy in the differential scanning calorimetry analysis. Together, these findings indicate that the mutant fimbriae are less stable than the wild-type. This study has demonstrated that the C-terminal β strands of MrkA are required for the assembly and structural stability of fimbriae.

We develop and test a thermally activated state transition technique for ultraweak force measurement. As a force sensor, the technique was demonstrated on a classical Brownian bead immersed in water and restrained by a bistable optical trap. A femto-Newton-level flow force imposed on this sensor was measured by monitoring changes in the transition rates of the bead hopping between two energy states. The treatment of thermal disturbances as a requirement instead of a limiting factor is the major feature of the technique, and provides a new strategy by which to measure other ultraweak forces beyond the thermal noise limit.

Pili are bacterial appendages that play many important roles in bacterial behaviors, physiology and interaction with hosts. Via pili, bacteria are able to adhere to, migrate onto, and colonize on host cells, mechanically. Different from the most studied type 1 and P type pili, which are rigid and thick with an average of 6~7 nm in diameter, type 3 pili are relatively tiny (3-5 nm in diameter) and flexible, and their biophysical properties remains unclear. By using optical tweezers, we found that the elongation processes of type 3 pili are divided into three phases: (1) elastic elongation, (2) uncoiling elongation, and (3) intrinsic elongation, separately. Besides, the uncoiling force of the recombinant pili displayed on the surface of E. coli [pmrkABCD V1 F] is measured 20 pN in average stronger than that of E. coli [pmrkABCD V1 ]. This suggests that pilin MrkF is involved in determining the mechanical properties of the type 3 pili.