Colonization factor antigen I fimbrial adhesin CfaE (CfaE)

Colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) fimbrial adhesin CfaE is a critical virulence factor located at the tip of the CFA/I fimbriae in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). It functions as a lectin that mediates the initial attachment of the bacteria to specific glycan receptors on the human intestinal epithelium, a prerequisite for colonization and the subsequent release of enterotoxins that cause diarrhea (Baker et al., 2009, PMID: 19139136). Structurally, CfaE consists of an N-terminal adhesin domain and a C-terminal pilin domain, with the N-terminal domain containing the primary binding site for host cell receptors (Poole et al., 2018, PMID: 29686134). Due to its essential role in the early stages of infection, CfaE is a primary target for the development of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies aimed at preventing traveler's diarrhea and ETEC-related illness in children in developing countries (Seo et al., 2016, PMID: 27161112). Therapeutic strategies often involve using donor-strand complemented versions of the protein (dCfaE) to stabilize the subunit for use as an immunogen or developing small-molecule inhibitors that mimic host glycans to competitively block adhesion (Teneberg et al., 2019, PMID: 31213456).

Other names

CFA/I minor subunitCfaE adhesinFimbrial adhesin CfaEMinor pilin subunit CfaE

Inhibition of bacterial attachment to host intestinal epithelial cells by blocking the binding site of the CfaE tip adhesin to its glycan receptors, thereby preventing colonization and subsequent toxin delivery.