Distinct Domains of CheA Confer Unique Functions in Chemotaxis and Cell Length in Azospirillum brasilense Sp7.

ABSTRACT: Chemotaxis is the movement of cells in response to gradients of diverse chemical cues. Motile bacteria utilize a conserved chemotaxis signal transduction system to bias their motility and navigate through a gradient. A central regulator of chemotaxis is the histidine kinase CheA. This cytoplasmic protein interacts with membrane-bound receptors, which assemble into large polar arrays, to propagate the signal. In the alphaproteobacterium Azospirillum brasilense, Che1 controls transient increases in swimming speed during chemotaxis, but it also biases the cell length at division. However, the exact underlying molecular mechanisms for Che1-dependent control of multiple cellular behaviors are not known. Here, we identify specific domains of the CheA1 histidine kinase implicated in modula

SUBMITTER: Gullett JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5472808 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature