Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing

Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...

Chemotaxis in E. coli

Chemotaxis in E. coli

Chemotaxis in Escherichia coli is a sensory-driven motility mechanism that enables bacteria to navigate chemical gradients, moving toward beneficial environments while avoiding harmful conditions. This process relies on a signal transduction system integrating external chemical cues with flagellar motor control.Chemoreceptors and Signal DetectionE. coli detects chemical gradients through methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs), which are membrane-bound chemoreceptors that sense attractants...

Bacterial Signaling

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 Systems

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...

Gene Regulation During Sporulation

Gene Regulation During Sporulation

Sporulation is a complex developmental process that allows certain Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis and Clostridium species, to survive extreme environmental conditions. This process is tightly regulated by a series of signaling cascades and transcriptional controls, ensuring the formation of a highly resistant endospore.Sporulation is triggered by unfavorable conditions, such as nutrient depletion, and is governed by a phosphorelay system. One of the sensor kinases, such as...

Bacterial RNA Polymerase

Bacterial RNA Polymerase

Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria use a single RNA Polymerase (RNAP) to transcribe all genes. The different subunits of bacterial RNAPhave distinct functions. The multisubunit structure of the bacterial RNAP helps the enzyme to maintain catalytic function, facilitate assembly, interact with DNA and RNA, and self-regulate its activity.
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Stability and Robustness of a Generalized Pump-Leak Model for Epithelial Vesicles.

Bulletin of mathematical biology·2026

Same author

Raman imaging of the phycosphere reveals sharp gradients of organic matter exuded by single phytoplankton cells.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

The coccosphere of the heavy calcifying coccolithophore Coccolithus braarudii provides defense against bacteria.

Communications biology·2026

Same author

Opposing range-dependent interactions create complex spatial patterns of antibiotic tolerance in multispecies biofilms.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Metabolic feedbacks drive population dynamics and can lead to oscillations among leaf bacteria.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Precise 3D Tracking of Highly Non-Planar Eukaryotic Flagellar Beating Patterns Using Digital Holographic Microscopy.

Small methods·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Published on: January 18, 2014

Logarithmic sensing in Bacillus subtilis aerotaxis.

Filippo Menolascina^1,2, Roberto Rusconi^3,4, Vicente I Fernandez^3,4

¹Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

NPJ Systems Biology and Applications

|July 21, 2017

Summary

Bacillus subtilis exhibits monotonic aerotaxis, migrating towards maximum oxygen concentrations. This bacterial oxygen sensing utilizes log-sensing for consistent sensitivity across a wide range of oxygen levels.

More Related Videos

Continuous Measurement of Biological Noise in Escherichia Coli Using Time-lapse Microscopy

Continuous Measurement of Biological Noise in Escherichia Coli Using Time-lapse Microscopy

Published on: April 27, 2021

Live-Cell Fluorescence Microscopy to Investigate Subcellular Protein Localization and Cell Morphology Changes in Bacteria

Live-Cell Fluorescence Microscopy to Investigate Subcellular Protein Localization and Cell Morphology Changes in Bacteria

Published on: November 23, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Published on: January 18, 2014

Continuous Measurement of Biological Noise in Escherichia Coli Using Time-lapse Microscopy

Continuous Measurement of Biological Noise in Escherichia Coli Using Time-lapse Microscopy

Published on: April 27, 2021

Live-Cell Fluorescence Microscopy to Investigate Subcellular Protein Localization and Cell Morphology Changes in Bacteria

Live-Cell Fluorescence Microscopy to Investigate Subcellular Protein Localization and Cell Morphology Changes in Bacteria

Published on: November 23, 2019

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Biophysics
Systems Biology

Background:

Aerotaxis, directed movement along oxygen gradients, is crucial for microorganisms but poorly understood.
Conflicting data exists on whether Bacillus subtilis seeks maximal or optimal oxygen levels.
Understanding aerotaxis mechanisms is vital for various life forms.

Purpose of the Study:

To resolve the oxygen preference of Bacillus subtilis.
To investigate aerotaxis maintenance across a broad range of oxygen conditions.
To develop a quantitative model for microbial aerotaxis.

Main Methods:

Utilized microfluidic devices for precise control of oxygen gradients (quasi-anoxic to oxic).
Employed high-throughput single-cell imaging for robust data acquisition.
Developed and validated a mathematical model for aerotaxis.

Main Results:

Demonstrated consistent migration towards maximum oxygen concentrations (monotonic aerotaxis).
Observed unchanged aerotaxis strength over three decades of oxygen concentration.
Discovered Bacillus subtilis employs log-sensing of oxygen gradients for sensitivity.

Conclusions:

Bacillus subtilis exhibits monotonic aerotaxis and log-sensing.
Log-sensing enables high sensitivity across a wide oxygen range.
The study provides a quantitative model and a blueprint for microbial taxis research.