Swimming towards each other: the role of chemotaxis in bacterial interactions

Trends Microbiol. 2024 Jan 11:S0966-842X(23)00360-8. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.12.008. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTChemotaxis allows microorganisms to direct movement in response to chemical stimuli. Bacteria use this behaviour to develop spatial associations with animals and plants, and even larger microbes. However, current theory suggests that constraints imposed by the limits of chemotactic sensory systems will prevent sensing of chemical gradients emanating from cells smaller than a few micrometres, precluding the utility of chemotaxis in interactions between individual bacteria. Yet, recent evidence has revealed surprising levels of bacterial chemotactic precision, as well as a role for chemotaxis in metabolite exchange between bacterial cells. If indeed widespread, chemotactic sensing between bacteria could represent an important, but largely overlooked, phenotype within interbacterial interactions, and play a significant role in shaping cooperative and competitive relationships.PMID:38212193 | DOI:10.1016/j.tim.2023.12.008

Source: Trends in Microbiology - January 11, 2024 Category: Microbiology Authors: Justin R Seymour Douglas R Brumley Roman Stocker Jean-Baptiste Raina Source Type: research