Biphasic chemotaxis of Escherichia coli to the microbiota metabolite indole
Abstract
Chemotaxis to microbial metabolites in the GI tract plays a key role in regulating bacterial colonization and pathogenesis. Chemotaxis to indole, one of the prominent GI-tract metabolites, remains poorly understood. In this work, we describe how two major chemoreceptors, Tar and Tsr, mediate opposite responses to indole. The difference in the kinetics of these responses causes an inversion from a repellent to an attractant response over time. Cells migrated toward regions of high indole concentration only if they had previously adapted to indole. Otherwise, they were repelled. Thus, indole has the potential to segregate cells based on their state of adaptation. This bipartite response to indole may shape the development of microbial communities in the GI tract.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Mar 02, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1916974117
Entities
People
- Arul Jayaraman
- Jingyun Yang
- Kathy Y. Rhee
- Michael D. Manson
- Pushkar P Lele
- Rachit Gupta
- Ravi Chawla
Organizations
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- United States Army Research Laboratory