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 Experiment Videos

Voltage clamp effects on bacterial chemotaxis.

Y Margolin, M Eisenbach

    Journal of Bacteriology
    |August 1, 1984
    PubMed
    Summary

    Bacterial chemotaxis, a process for sensing chemical signals, does not rely on membrane potential fluctuations. Researchers found that even when membrane potential was clamped, bacterial signaling and adaptation remained functional.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

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

    Sort by
    Same author

    Perturbation calculation of thermodynamic density of states.

    Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2012
    Same author

    Convergence for the Wang-Landau density of states.

    Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2012
    Same author

    The CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 impairs survival of human AML cells and induces their differentiation.

    Leukemia·2008
    Same author

    The sperm chemoattractant secreted from human cumulus cells is progesterone.

    Human reproduction (Oxford, England)·2008
    Same author

    Epitaxial stabilization of ferromagnetism in the nanophase of FeGe.

    Physical review letters·2006
    Same author

    Changing the direction of flagellar rotation in bacteria by modulating the ratio between the rotational states of the switch protein FliM.

    Journal of molecular biology·2001

    Area of Science:

    • Microbiology
    • Cellular Biology
    • Biophysics

    Background:

    • Bacteria utilize chemotaxis to navigate chemical gradients.
    • Membrane potential is a key factor in cellular signaling.
    • The precise role of membrane potential in bacterial chemotaxis signaling is not fully understood.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate if bacterial sensory signaling during chemotaxis is mediated by membrane potential fluctuations.
    • To determine the necessity of membrane potential changes for bacterial excitation and adaptation responses.

    Main Methods:

    • Studied the effect of clamping membrane potential on bacterial chemotaxis.
    • Utilized valinomycin, a potassium-specific ionophore, to clamp the membrane potential in the presence of potassium ions.
    • Observed the chemotactic behavior of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.

    Main Results:

    • Bacterial chemotaxis signaling, including excitation and adaptation, occurred even when the membrane potential was clamped.
    • Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis cells exhibited excitability and adaptability under clamped potential conditions.
    • The results indicate that membrane potential fluctuations are not the sole mechanism for sensory signaling in chemotaxis.

    Conclusions:

    • Bacterial sensory signaling in chemotaxis is not solely dependent on fluctuations in membrane potential.
    • The excitation and adaptation steps of chemotaxis can proceed independently of membrane potential changes.
    • This finding challenges previous assumptions about the biophysical basis of bacterial signal transduction.

    Related Experiment Videos