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    Tanyut Huidrom - Assignment 3 - Physiology

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    Chemotaxis allows bacteria like E. coli to navigate chemical gradients in their environment. The bacteria detect chemical signals through chemoreceptors on their cell surface which activate a cytoplasmic signaling complex that regulates the flagellar motor. This controls whether the motor rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, determining if the bacteria will run straight or tumble to change direction. The signaling pathway involves phosphorylation of the response regulator CheY, which binds to the motor to influence its rotation and steer the bacteria toward attractants or away from repellents.

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    Tanyut Huidrom - Assignment 3 - Physiology

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    Tanyut Huidrom
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    Chemotaxis allows bacteria like E. coli to navigate chemical gradients in their environment. The bacteria detect chemical signals through chemoreceptors on their cell surface which activate a cytoplasmic signaling complex that regulates the flagellar motor. This controls whether the motor rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, determining if the bacteria will run straight or tumble to change direction. The signaling pathway involves phosphorylation of the response regulator CheY, which binds to the motor to influence its rotation and steer the bacteria toward attractants or away from repellents.

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    Chemotaxis allows bacteria like E. coli to navigate chemical gradients in their environment. The bacteria detect chemical signals through chemoreceptors on their cell surface which activate a cytoplasmic signaling complex that regulates the flagellar motor. This controls whether the motor rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, determining if the bacteria will run straight or tumble to change direction. The signaling pathway involves phosphorylation of the response regulator CheY, which binds to the motor to influence its rotation and steer the bacteria toward attractants or away from repellents.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    14 views5 pages

    Tanyut Huidrom - Assignment 3 - Physiology

    Uploaded by

    Tanyut Huidrom
    Chemotaxis allows bacteria like E. coli to navigate chemical gradients in their environment. The bacteria detect chemical signals through chemoreceptors on their cell surface which activate a cytoplasmic signaling complex that regulates the flagellar motor. This controls whether the motor rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, determining if the bacteria will run straight or tumble to change direction. The signaling pathway involves phosphorylation of the response regulator CheY, which binds to the motor to influence its rotation and steer the bacteria toward attractants or away from repellents.

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    Tanyut Huidrom

    Professor Sougata Roy

    Physiology BIO-3423/ BIO-6423-1

    5 March 2023

    Assignment 3: Chemotaxis

    Chemotaxis is the process by which cells move towards or away from a chemical gradient.

    The cells detect changes in the concentration of chemical molecules in their environment and

    respond by moving towards or away from the source of the chemical signal.

    In Escherichia coli, chemotaxis is mediated by a complex signaling pathway that involves

    the binding of environmental stimuli to chemoreceptors on the cell surface. The chemoreceptors

    are connected to a cytoplasmic signaling complex that regulates the activity of the flagellar

    motor, which propels the bacteria through liquid environments. When a chemoreceptor is

    activated, it stimulates the cytoplasmic signaling complex to induce changes in the direction of

    flagellar rotation, causing the bacteria to move towards or away from the source of the chemical

    signal.

    Flagellar motor: The flagellar motor is a complex molecular machine composed of a series of

    proteins that work together to rotate the flagellum. The motor is anchored to the cell wall and

    consists of a rotor, stator, and filament. The rotor is composed of a protein called FliG, which
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    interacts with another protein complex in the stator. The stator is made up of two proteins, MotA

    and MotB, which form a channel through which ions can pass. The flow of ions through the

    channel generates a proton motive force that drives the rotation of the rotor and flagellum.

    Chemotaxis signaling pathway: The chemotaxis signaling pathway allows E. coli to sense and

    respond to changes in its environment. The pathway is composed of a series of proteins that

    interact with each other to transmit signals from the environment to the flagellar motor. The

    pathway begins with the binding of environmental stimuli to chemoreceptors on the cell surface.

    The chemoreceptors are connected to a cytoplasmic signaling complex, which consists of the

    protein CheA, the adaptor protein CheW, and the response regulator protein CheY. When a

    chemoreceptor is activated, it stimulates the cytoplasmic signaling complex to phosphorylate

    CheY. The phosphorylated form of CheY binds to the flagellar motor and induces a change in the

    direction of flagellar rotation. This change in direction causes the cell to move towards or away

    from the source of the environmental stimulus.

    Cytoplasmic signaling complex: The cytoplasmic signaling complex is a protein complex that

    regulates the activity of the flagellar motor in response to signals from the environment. The

    complex consists of three proteins: CheA, CheW, and CheY. CheA is a protein kinase that

    phosphorylates CheY in response to signals from the chemoreceptors. CheW is an adaptor

    protein that connects CheA to the chemoreceptors, allowing the complex to respond to changes

    in the environment. CheY is a response regulator protein that binds to the flagellar motor and

    regulates its activity.


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    The direction of flagellar rotation in E. coli plays a crucial role in determining the direction of

    bacterial movement. When the flagellar motor rotates counterclockwise, the flagella bundle

    together to propel the cell forward in a straight line, which is known as a "run." However, when

    the flagellar motor rotates clockwise, the flagella comes apart and the cell tumbles, changing its

    direction of movement. The ability of E. coli to switch between running and tumbling is

    important for its ability to navigate its environment during chemotaxis. When E. coli encounters

    a chemical attractant, the binding of the attractant to its chemoreceptors causes the flagellar

    motor to rotate counterclockwise, resulting in a net movement towards the attractant. However,

    when the concentration of the attractant decreases or the bacterium encounters a repellent, the

    chemoreceptors signal the flagellar motor to switch to clockwise rotation, causing the bacterium

    to tumble and change its direction of movement.


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    Works Cited

    Hansen, Clinton H et al. “Chemotaxis in Escherichia coli: a molecular model for robust precise

    adaptation.” PLoS computational biology vol. 4,1 (2008): e1.

    doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.0040001

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