We recently found that marine bacteria Vibrio alginolyticus execute a cyclic 3-step (run- reverse-flick) motility pattern that is distinctively different from the 2-step (run-tumble) pattern of Escherichia coli. How this novel swimming pattern is regulated by cells of V. alginolyticus is not currently known, but its significance for bacterial chemotaxis is self- evident and will be delineated herein. Using an approach introduced by de Gennes, we calculated the migration speed of a cell executing the 3-step pattern in a linear chemical gradient, and found that a biphasic chemotactic response arises naturally. The implication of such a response for the cells to adapt to ocean environments and its possible connection to E. coli 's response are also discussed.
@article{arxiv.1011.3278,
title = {Implications of 3-step swimming patterns in bacterial chemotaxis},
author = {Tuba Altindal and Li Xie and Xiao-Lun Wu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1011.3278},
year = {2017}
}
Comments
18 pages, 4 figures, submitted to biophysical journal