Chemotaxis in Bacillus subtilis: effects of attractants on the level of methylation of methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins and the role of demethylation in the adaptation process

By performing in vivo methylation experiments and using highly resolving NaDodSO4-polyacrylamide gels, we have examined the effects of amino acid attractants on the methylation profile of Bacillus subtilis MCPs. Both increases and decreases have been found to occur in the level of methylation of the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biochemistry (Easton) 1982-03, Vol.21 (5), p.915-920
Main Authors: Goldman, Daniel J, Worobec, Stephen W, Siegel, Rebecca B, Hecker, Roger V, Ordal, George W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acids
Bacillus subtilis
Bacillus subtilis - physiology
Bacterial Proteins - physiology
Chemotaxis
Methanol - metabolism
Methylation
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:By performing in vivo methylation experiments and using highly resolving NaDodSO4-polyacrylamide gels, we have examined the effects of amino acid attractants on the methylation profile of Bacillus subtilis MCPs. Both increases and decreases have been found to occur in the level of methylation of these proteins. By using competition experiments and Conway diffusion cells, we have found that the demethylation event is correlated with the adaptation process. Gas chromatographic analysis indicates that methanol is evolved upon demethylation of these proteins. As more attractant receptors are titrated, corresponding increases in methanol evolution result. During this period of increased rate of methanol production, bacteria swim smoothly.
ISSN:0006-2960
1520-4995
DOI:10.1021/bi00534a016