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Chemotaxis to Atypical Chemoattractants by Soil Bacteria

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Bacterial Chemosensing

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1729))

Abstract

Although the mechanism of bacterial chemotaxis has been extensively studied in enteric bacteria, the hunt for novel and atypical chemoeffectors (in enterics and distantly-related species alike) has necessitated the modification of classic chemotaxis assays to deal with recalcitrant and potentially toxic chemicals. Here, we describe detailed protocols for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of chemotaxis responses that are categorized into short-term direct population response assays and long-term metabolism-based assays that can be used to identify novel chemoeffector molecules and the specific chemoreceptors involved. We emphasize the importance of behavior-based assays to verify the biochemical and physiological relevance of newly identified chemoeffector-receptor pairs.

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Acknowledgment

Chemotaxis research in the authors’ laboratories has been supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (MCB 0919930). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Rebecca E. Parales

  2. Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Jayna L. Ditty

Authors
  1. Rebecca E. Parales
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  2. Jayna L. Ditty
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jayna L. Ditty .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Michael D. Manson

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Parales, R.E., Ditty, J.L. (2018). Chemotaxis to Atypical Chemoattractants by Soil Bacteria. In: Manson, M. (eds) Bacterial Chemosensing. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1729. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7577-8_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7577-8_21

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-7576-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7577-8

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