What does pilus mean?
Definitions for pilus
ˈpaɪ ləspilus
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word pilus.
Princeton's WordNet
hair, pilusnoun
any of the cylindrical filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal
"there is a hair in my soup"
pilusnoun
hairlike structure especially on the surface of a cell or microorganism
Wiktionary
pilusnoun
A hair.
pilusnoun
A hairlike appendage found on the cell surface of many bacteria.
Wikipedia
Pilus
A pilus (Latin for 'hair'; plural: pili) is a hair-like appendage found on the surface of many bacteria and archaea. The terms pilus and fimbria (Latin for 'fringe'; plural: fimbriae) can be used interchangeably, although some researchers reserve the term pilus for the appendage required for bacterial conjugation. All conjugative pili are primarily composed of pilin – fibrous proteins, which are oligomeric. Dozens of these structures can exist on the bacterial and archaeal surface. Some bacteria, viruses or bacteriophages attach to receptors on pili at the start of their reproductive cycle. Pili are antigenic. They are also fragile and constantly replaced, sometimes with pili of different composition, resulting in altered antigenicity. Specific host responses to old pili structures are not effective on the new structure. Recombination genes of pili code for variable (V) and constant (C) regions of the pili (similar to immunoglobulin diversity). As the primary antigenic determinants, virulence factors and impunity factors on the cell surface of a number of species of Gram negative and some Gram positive bacteria, including Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Neisseriaceae, there has been much interest in the study of pili as organelle of adhesion and as vaccine components. The first detailed study of pili was done by Brinton and co-workers who demonstrated the existence of two distinct phases within one bacterial strain: pileated (p+) and non-pileated)
ChatGPT
pilus
A pilus is a hairlike appendage found on the surface of many bacteria and other prokaryotes. It serves various functions, including movement, attachment to other surfaces or cells, and DNA transfer during a type of sexual reproduction called conjugation. Pili can be found in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with different types serving different specific purposes. They are larger than other surface appendages like fimbriae but smaller than bacterial flagella (which are used for locomotion).
Wikidata
Pilus
A pilus is a hairlike appendage found on the surface of many bacteria. The terms pilus and fimbria can be used interchangeably, although some researchers reserve the term pilus for the appendage required for bacterial conjugation. All pili are primarily composed of oligomeric pilin proteins. Dozens of these structures can exist on the bacteria. Some bacterial viruses or bacteriophages attach to receptors on pili at the start of their reproductive cycle. Pili are antigenic. They are also fragile and constantly replaced, sometimes with pili of different composition, resulting in altered antigenicity. Specific host responses to old pili structure are not effective on the new structure. Recombination genes of pili code for variable and constant regions of the pili.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Pilus
pī′lus, n. one of the slender hairs on plants:—pl. Pī′li. [L.]
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
pilus
In the southwest of Messenia, was situated at the foot of Mount Ægaleos on a promontory at the northern entrance of the basin, now called the Bay of Navarino, the largest and safest harbor of Greece. In the second Messenian war the inhabitants of Pylos offered a long and brave resistance to the Spartans; but after the capture of Ira, they were obliged to quit their native country with the rest of the Messenians. It again became memorable in the Peloponnesian war, when the Athenians under Demosthenes built a fort on the promontory Coryphasium, a little south of the ancient city, and just within the northern entrance of the harbor (425 B.C.). The attempts of the Spartans to dislodge the Athenians proved unavailing; and the capture by Cleon of the Spartans, who had landed in the island of Sphacteria, was one of the most important events in the whole war.
Matched Categories
Anagrams for pilus »
pulis
lupis
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of pilus in Chaldean Numerology is: 3
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of pilus in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5
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Translations for pilus
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- τρίχαGreek
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