The F17-G adhesin at the tip of flexible F17 fimbriae of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli mediates binding to N-acetyl-b-D-glucosamine-presenting receptors on the microvilli of the intestinal epithelium of ruminants. We report the 1.7 .ANG. resoln. crystal structure of the lectin domain of F17-G, both free and in complex with N-acetylglucosamine. The monosaccharide is bound on the side of the ellipsoid-shaped protein in a conserved site around which all natural variations of F17-G are clustered. A model is proposed for the interaction between F17-fimbriated E. coli and microvilli with enhanced affinity compared with the binding const. we detd. for F17-G binding to N-acetylglucosamine (0.85 mM-1). Unexpectedly, the F17-G structure reveals that the lectin domains of the F17-G, PapGII and FimH fimbrial adhesins all share the Ig-like fold of the structural components (pilins) of their fimbriae, despite lack of any sequence identity. Fold comparisons with pilin and chaperone structures of the chaperone/usher pathway highlight the central role of the C-terminal b-strand G of the Ig-like fold and provides new insights into pilus assembly, function and adhesion. [on SciFinder (R)]