Discovery of a New Chemoeffector for Escherichia coli Chemoreceptor Tsr and Identification of a Molecular Mechanism of Repellent Sensing.

ABSTRACT: Motile bacteria use chemotaxis to search for nutrients and escape from harmful chemicals. While the sensing mechanisms for chemical attractants are well established, the molecular details of chemorepellent detection are poorly understood. Here, by using combined computational and experimental approaches to screen potential chemoeffectors for the Escherichia coli chemoreceptor Tsr, we identified a specific chemorepellent, 1-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid (ACHC). Our study strongly suggests that ACHC directly binds to the periplasmic sensory domain of Tsr and competes with l-serine, the amino acid attractant of Tsr. We further characterized the binding features of l-serine, ACHC, and l-leucine (a natural repellent that binds Tsr) and found that Asn68 plays a key role in mediating che

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10125284 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature