Viscous drag on the flagellum activates Bacillus subtilis entry into the K-state.

ABSTRACT: Bacillus subtilis flagella are not only required for locomotion but also act as sensors that monitor environmental changes. Although how the signal transmission takes place is poorly understood, it has been shown that flagella play an important role in surface sensing by transmitting a mechanical signal to control the DegS-DegU two-component system. Here we report a role for flagella in the regulation of the K-state, which enables transformability and antibiotic tolerance (persistence). Mutations impairing flagellar synthesis are inferred to increase DegU-P, which inhibits the expression of ComK, the master regulator for the K-state, and reduces transformability. Tellingly, both deletion of the flagellin gene and straight filament (hag^A233V ) mutations increased DegU phosphoryla

SUBMITTER: Diethmaier C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5653444 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature