Sensory Cross-Talk Between Chemotaxis Behavior and the Regulation of Swarmer Cell Differentiation of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
2007
Belas, M. R.
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major causative agent in the process known as marine biofouling, or the attachment of living organisms to submerged surfaces. V. parahaemolyticus accomplishes this attachment by the production of a differentiated hyperflagellated swarmer cell. It has been observed that mutants of V. parahaemolyticus defective in chemotaxis behavior show aberrant expression of the swarmer cell. Although chemotaxis behavior and swarmer cell differentiation are considered to be separate sensory transduction systems, such Che mutants must have a genetic defect in a protein integral to the regulation of swarmer cell differentiation, thus linking the two signal pathways together. It is the goal of this work to identify this link. We have constructed a set of Che mutants in V. parahaemolyticus and have characterized them for defects in swimming behavior. The che DNA from 3 of 10 total Che mutants was cloned into E. coli and physically characterized. Mutations in each respective cloned che gene were constructed so that allelic exchange mutagenesis could be conducted on a V. parahaemolyticus strain harboring a laf::lux transcriptional fusion.... Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Swarmer cell differentiation, Chemotaxis flagella.
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