Angle sensing in magnetotaxis of Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1.

ABSTRACT: The mechanism of how magnetotactic bacteria navigate along the magnetic field has been a puzzle. Two main models disagree on whether the magnetotactic behavior results from passive alignment with the magnetic field or active sensing of the magnetic force. Here, we quantitatively studied the swimming patterns of Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 cells to understand the origin of their magnetotactic behaviors. Single-cell tracking and swimming pattern analysis showed that the cells follow a mixed run-reverse-tumble pattern. The average run time decreased with the angle between the cell's moving velocity and the external magnetic field. For mutant cells without the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (MCP) Amb0994, such dependence disappeared and bacteria failed to align with magnetic field l

SUBMITTER: Zhu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4134682 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature