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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Automated Analysis of Intracellular Phenotypes of Salmonella Using ImageJ

Automated Analysis of Intracellular Phenotypes of Salmonella Using ImageJ

Published on: August 9, 2022

Do Salmonella carry spare tyres?

John R McQuiston¹, Patricia I Fields, Robert V Tauxe

¹Graduate Program in Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.

Trends in Microbiology

|April 1, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Salmonellae bacteria can switch flagellar proteins using two gene loci, a trait specific to certain types. This adaptability may offer evolutionary advantages, with the second locus acting as a

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Evolutionary Biology
Genetics

Background:

Salmonellae are enterobacteria possessing a unique mechanism for altering flagellar composition.
This involves switching expression between two distinct loci encoding the major flagellin protein.
This flagellar switching ability is not universal across all Salmonella, varying by species, subspecies, and serotype.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore an evolutionary model for the maintenance of the dual flagellin locus system in Salmonella.
To investigate the potential evolutionary advantages conferred by the preservation or loss of this flagellar switching mechanism.
To hypothesize the functional role of the second flagellin locus, likening it to a genetic 'spare tyre'.

Main Methods:

Discussion of an evolutionary model.
Analysis of selective pressures and environmental factors.
Comparative genomics (implied) to study locus presence/absence across lineages.

Main Results:

The loss of the second flagellin locus has occurred in some Salmonella lineages.
This loss has been tolerated and, in some cases, associated with evolutionary success.
The second locus is hypothesized to be a conditional genetic resource.

Conclusions:

The dual flagellin locus system in Salmonella represents a significant evolutionary adaptation.
The ability to switch flagellar expression likely provides a survival advantage in specific environmental conditions.
The maintenance or loss of the second locus is driven by evolutionary trade-offs and environmental pressures.