Molecular Mechanism of Curli Amyloid Formation: A Folding-Limited Nucleation Process Balancing Efficient Polymerization and Avoiding Cytotoxicity
The curli amyloid fibrils of Gram-negative bacteria form via a folding-limited one-step nucleation process, which has emerged as an evolutionary balance between efficient extracellular polymerization and avoiding pre-emptive nucleation in the periplasm.