Probing chemotaxis activity in Escherichia coli using fluorescent protein fusions.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial chemotaxis signaling may be interesting for the development of rapid biosensor assays, but is difficult to quantify. Here we explore two potential fluorescent readouts of chemotactically active Escherichia coli cells. In the first, we probed interactions between the chemotaxis signaling proteins CheY and CheZ by fusing them individually with non-fluorescent parts of stable or unstable 'split'-Green Fluorescent Protein. Wild-type chemotactic cells but not mutants lacking the CheA kinase produced distinguishable fluorescence foci, two-thirds of which localize at the cell poles with the chemoreceptors and one-third at motor complexes. Fluorescent foci based on stable split-eGFP displayed small fluctuations in cells exposed to attractant or repellent, but those based on an unstable A

SUBMITTER: Roggo C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6405996 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature