Functional role of bdm during flagella biogenesis in Escherichia coli

The biofilm-dependent modulation gene (bdm) has recently been shown to play a role in osmotic-induced formation of biofilm in Escherichia coli. In this study, we demonstrated that deletion of bdm results in down-regulation of flagella biosynthesis genes and, consequently, a defect in E. coli motility. In addition, we employed atomic force microscopy to confirm the absence of flagella-like structures on the surface of bdm-null cells. These findings indicate that bdm plays a key role in regulatory pathway for the formation of flagella.