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Published on: January 31, 2020
Throwing the switch in bacterial chemotaxis
1Dept of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7290, USA.
Abstract:
In Escherichia coli chemotaxis, the switch from counterclockwise to clockwise rotation of the flagella occurs as a result of binding of the phosphorylated CheY protein to the base of the flagellum. Analysis of CheY variants has provided a picture of the surface of CheY that undergoes conformational shifts, as a result of phosphorylation, to interact directly with the flagellum. Whether phospho-CheY binding and flagellar switching are sequential steps or can occur in a concerted fashion has yet to be determined.
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