Bacterial surface adhesin

Bacterial surface adhesins are a broad class of cell-surface proteins or appendages expressed by bacteria that mediate adherence to host tissues, abiotic surfaces, or other bacterial cells[1][2][3][5]. They are critical for pathogenesis, enabling colonization, tissue tropism, and biofilm formation[1][2][3]. Types include pili/fimbriae tip adhesins (e.g., FimH in E. coli), single-polypeptide fibrillar adhesins, and S-layer proteins, among others[1][3][4][5]. Adhesins can be monomeric proteins directly anchored to the bacterial surface or polymeric fibers that project adhesive domains away from the cell body[2][3][5]. In pathogenic bacteria, adhesins are considered virulence factors because they facilitate infection and immune evasion[1][2][3]. Due to their essential role in infection and biofilm formation, bacterial surface adhesins are viewed as promising therapeutic targets, with several strategies aiming to block their interaction with host cells to prevent colonization and disease[1][2][3].\n\n**Notes:**\n- The entry "Bacterial surface adhesive proteins" is too generic and imprecise for drug discovery work; it lacks specificity, as bacterial adhesins comprise a large, structurally diverse group of proteins rather than a single molecular entity. If a specific adhesin (e.g., FimH, FnBPA, LapA, S-layer protein) or pathogen is known, that should be used as the canonical target name[1][2][3][4][5].\n- The canonical form for structured data should reference a specific protein (e.g., "FimH adhesin"), not the generic class "Bacterial surface adhesive proteins". Thus, for purposes of target databases, this entry should be flagged as "incorrect" or "too vague" for precise target definition.

Other names

Bacterial adhesinBacterial adhesive proteinFimbrial adhesinFimHPili-associated adhesinS-layer proteinFibrillar adhesin

Inhibition of bacterial adhesion to host tissues, Prevention of biofilm formation, Blockade of host cell receptor binding