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Related Experiment Videos

Receptor sensitivity in bacterial chemotaxis.

Victor Sourjik1, Howard C Berg

  • 1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|December 14, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Control of flagellar gene expression by a chemotaxis receptor-like regulator in pathogenic Escherichia coli.

The EMBO journal·2025

This study reveals how Escherichia coli bacteria amplify weak chemical signals using receptor modification and ultrasensitive flagellar motors for efficient chemotaxis. This explains their remarkable ability to navigate towards attractants.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Escherichia coli chemotaxis relies on signal transduction through CheY approximately P, a phosphorylated intermediate.
  • Flagellar motor response to CheY approximately P is stochastic and physiologically limited.
  • Quantifying receptor activity and signal amplification in real-time has been challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the real-time dynamics of CheY approximately P-CheZ interactions to infer receptor kinase (CheA) activity.
  • To analyze the role of receptor methylation/demethylation in chemotactic response sensitivity.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms behind the high chemotactic gain observed in E. coli.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to monitor CheY approximately P and CheZ interactions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzed cheR and/or cheB mutant strains defective in receptor modification.
  • Quantified attractant concentration for half-maximal response and compared it to receptor dissociation constants.

    • Main Results:

    • FRET measurements revealed changes in CheA activity upon addition of attractants or repellents.
    • Chemotactic response sensitivity is dependent on CheB activity and receptor modification levels.
    • In cheRcheB mutants, response sensitivity equals receptor dissociation constant; in wild-type, it's 35-fold lower.

    Conclusions:

    • Receptor modification significantly amplifies weak chemical signals in E. coli chemotaxis.
    • The combination of signal amplification and ultrasensitive flagellar motors explains high chemotactic gain.
    • This study provides a quantitative understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial navigation.