Taylor J. Ellison

This paper identifies a β-strand complementation mechanism used by PilC/PilY1 proteins to license type IV filament assembly across diverse systems.

This paper identifies Aqs1, a phage-encoded protein that inhibits type IV pilus function in multiple Gram-negative bacteria by targeting the PilB ATPase.

The paper identifies prophage-encoded proteins similar to FimU, which replace bacterial cell surface components to defend against phage infection.

The paper identifies suppressor mutations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that restore twitching motility in fimX mutants, revealing FimX's role in regulating PilB ATP hydrolysis and pilus extension dynamics.

This paper identifies FimX as a regulator of T4P positioning in Acinetobacter baylyi through interaction with the Pil-Chp chemosensory system.

This study identifies DNA binding by type IV pili as a rate-limiting step in natural transformation, showing that enhancing DNA binding in Acinetobacter pathogens increases transformation rates by 100-fold.