Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Regulation of Bacterial Virulence01:28

Regulation of Bacterial Virulence

Pathogenic bacteria employ a range of regulatory mechanisms to modulate the expression of virulence genes in response to environmental and host-derived signals. These mechanisms ensure that virulence factors are expressed only under favorable conditions, thereby optimizing infection and survival strategies.Mechanisms of Virulence RegulationKey regulatory strategies include:Two-Component Systems: These consist of a membrane-bound sensor kinase and a cytoplasmic response regulator. Environmental...
Other Stress Responses in Bacteria01:30

Other Stress Responses in Bacteria

Bacteria have global regulatory systems that control several types of stress mechanisms. These include Pho regulon and the heat shock response, which are essential systems for environmental adaptation, such as nutrient limitation and proteotoxic stress. The Pho regulon and the heat shock response exemplify bacterial resilience, enabling rapid adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions.Pho RegulonBacteria require phosphorus for essential cellular processes, including nucleic acid...
Stringent Response in E. coli01:23

Stringent Response in E. coli

Bacterial growth is closely tied to nutrient availability, with cells proliferating exponentially under favorable conditions and entering a stationary phase when resources become scarce. This transition is mediated by a regulatory mechanism known as the stringent response, which allows bacteria to adapt to nutrient deprivation by modulating gene expression and metabolic activity.During nutrient scarcity, intracellular amino acid levels decline. It results in the accumulation of uncharged tRNAs...
Bacterial Signaling01:30

Bacterial Signaling

Bacterial signaling can occur within bacteria (intracellular) or between bacteria (intercellular). At times, a group of bacteria behaves like a community. To achieve this, they engage in quorum sensing, the perception of higher cell density that causes changes in gene expression. Quorum sensing involves both extracellular and intracellular signaling. The signaling cascade starts with a molecule called an autoinducer (AI). Individual bacteria produce AIs that move out of the bacterial cell...
Global Regulatory Systems01:28

Global Regulatory Systems

Global regulatory systems in bacteria enable rapid and coordinated responses to environmental changes by integrating sensory inputs with gene expression, ensuring efficient adaptation to fluctuating conditions. Key global regulatory mechanisms include regulons, two-component systems, sigma factors, and secondary messengers.Regulons and Global RegulatorsA regulon is a collection of genes and operons controlled by a common global regulator. These regulators enable bacteria to prioritize resource...
Factors Influencing Microbial Growth: Temperature01:27

Factors Influencing Microbial Growth: Temperature

Microorganisms display remarkable adaptations, enabling them to thrive in diverse ecological niches across a wide range of temperatures. Temperature profoundly influences microbial growth by affecting enzymatic activity, membrane fluidity, and other cellular processes.Each microorganism operates within a specific temperature range defined by three cardinal points: minimum, optimum, and maximum. Below the minimum temperature, membranes lose fluidity, halting transport processes. Above the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Emergent Homeostasis and Degeneracy From Multi-Dimensional Attractors.

BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology·2026
Same author

Life sets off a cascade of machines.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Metabolic rearrangement enables adaptation of microbial growth rate to temperature shifts.

Nature microbiology·2024
Same author

Nonlethal deleterious mutation-induced stress accelerates bacterial aging.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

Multigenerational memory in bacterial size control.

Physical review. E·2023
Same author

Bacterial cell-size changes resulting from altering the relative expression of Min proteins.

Nature communications·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

DNA-affinity-purified Chip (DAP-chip) Method to Determine Gene Targets for Bacterial Two component Regulatory Systems
12:24

DNA-affinity-purified Chip (DAP-chip) Method to Determine Gene Targets for Bacterial Two component Regulatory Systems

Published on: July 21, 2014

A concentration-dependent switch in the bacterial response to temperature.

Hanna Salman1, Albert Libchaber

  • 1Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, USA. salmanh@rockefeller.edu

Nature Cell Biology
|August 19, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Bacteria behavior in temperature gradients changes with concentration. A signal molecule called glycine and receptor expression shifts control whether bacteria move to warmer or colder areas.

More Related Videos

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
07:10

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues

Published on: February 19, 2019

A Fast and Reliable Pipeline for Bacterial Transcriptome Analysis Case study: Serine-dependent Gene Regulation in Streptococcus pneumoniae
10:18

A Fast and Reliable Pipeline for Bacterial Transcriptome Analysis Case study: Serine-dependent Gene Regulation in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Published on: April 25, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

DNA-affinity-purified Chip (DAP-chip) Method to Determine Gene Targets for Bacterial Two component Regulatory Systems
12:24

DNA-affinity-purified Chip (DAP-chip) Method to Determine Gene Targets for Bacterial Two component Regulatory Systems

Published on: July 21, 2014

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
07:10

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues

Published on: February 19, 2019

A Fast and Reliable Pipeline for Bacterial Transcriptome Analysis Case study: Serine-dependent Gene Regulation in Streptococcus pneumoniae
10:18

A Fast and Reliable Pipeline for Bacterial Transcriptome Analysis Case study: Serine-dependent Gene Regulation in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Published on: April 25, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial chemotaxis
  • Cell signaling

Background:

  • Bacteria exhibit complex behaviors in response to environmental stimuli.
  • Temperature gradients can influence bacterial motility and distribution.
  • Cell-to-cell communication plays a crucial role in coordinating bacterial responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism behind the switch in bacterial thermotaxis.
  • To identify the signaling molecules and cellular components involved in this behavioral change.
  • To understand how bacterial concentration affects their response to temperature gradients.

Main Methods:

  • Batch-mode bacterial cultures were used to control bacterial density.
  • Temperature gradients were applied to observe bacterial movement.
  • Analysis of intercellular signaling molecules, specifically glycine.
  • Investigation of receptor methylation and gene expression ratios (Tar/Tsr).

Main Results:

  • Below a critical concentration, bacteria moved towards warmer regions.
  • Above the critical concentration, bacteria exhibited negative thermotaxis, moving towards colder regions.
  • Glycine was identified as the intercellular signal mediating this switch via Tsr receptor methylation.
  • An inversion of the Tar/Tsr expression ratio was observed at high bacterial concentrations, reinforcing the switch.

Conclusions:

  • Bacterial thermotaxis is concentration-dependent and mediated by glycine signaling.
  • Tsr receptor methylation is a key mechanism for switching thermotactic behavior.
  • Coordinated changes in gene expression (Tar/Tsr ratio) enhance behavioral adaptation in dense cultures.