Chemotaxis and beyond: diversity of chemosensory transduction pathways

STUDDERT C. A.

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LI Reunión Anual de SAIB; 2015

SAIB

The signaling pathway involved in bacterial chemotaxis is remarkably well conserved both in Bacteria and Archaea. Chemoreceptors detect a variety of stimuli and transmit the signal to the flagella via associated proteins that include a dedicated two-component system pair.Along evolution, variations in this pathway have added complexity yet keeping the essence of the signal transduction mechanism.In our lab, we study the molecular bases of signal transduction in the well-characterized chemotaxis pathway in E. coli. In this context, some new insights about the role of the coupling protein CheW in the signaling complex will be discussed. On the other hand, we also try to understand how variations in this system have given origin to independent though related signaling pathways, and their physiological significance. As an approach to this topic, experimental demonstration of how two different chemotaxis complexes can operate independently in the same cell will be showed. Besides, the chemotaxjs-related chemosensory pathways in an environmental Halomonas sp. strain will be described.Our main goal is to understand how the basic module of chemotaxis-like pathways can be adapted to different physiological or ecological needs within the bacterial world.