Evolution of response dynamics underlying bacterial chemotaxis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The ability to predict the function and structure of complex molecular mechanisms underlying cellular behaviour is one of the main aims of systems biology. To achieve it, we need to understand the evolutionary routes leading to a specific response dynamics that can underlie a given function and how biophysical and environmental factors affect which route is taken. Here, we apply such an evolutionary approach to the bacterial chemotaxis pathway, which is documented to display considerable complexity and diversity.

Results

We construct evolutionarily accessible response dynamics starting from a linear response to absolute levels of attractant, to those observed in current-day Escherichia coli. We explicitly consider bacterial movement as a two-state process composed

SUBMITTER: Soyer OS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3178535 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature