Chemosensing in Escherichia coli: Two Regimes of Two-State Receptors

The chemotaxis network in Escherichia coli is remarkable for its sensitivity to small relative changes in the concentrations of multiple chemical signals. We present a model for signal integration by mixed clusters of interacting two-state chemoreceptors. Our model results compare favorably to the r...

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Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 103; no. 6; pp. 1786 - 1791
Main Authors Keymer, Juan E., Endres, Robert G., Skoge, Monica, Meir, Yigal, Wingreen, Ned S.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Academy of Sciences 07.02.2006
National Acad Sciences
Subjects
Bacteria
Biological Sciences
Cellular biology
Chemotaxis
Coupling coefficients
Dose response relationship
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli - cytology
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli - metabolism
Escherichia coli Proteins - genetics
Escherichia coli Proteins - metabolism
Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
Free energy
Geologic eons
Ligands
Mathematical constants
Methylation
Models, Biological
Receptors
Signal transduction
Thermodynamics
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Summary:The chemotaxis network in Escherichia coli is remarkable for its sensitivity to small relative changes in the concentrations of multiple chemical signals. We present a model for signal integration by mixed clusters of interacting two-state chemoreceptors. Our model results compare favorably to the results obtained by Sourjik and Berg with in vivo fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Importantly, we identify two distinct regimes of behavior, depending on the relative energies of the two states of the receptors. In regime I, coupling of receptors leads to high sensitivity, while in regime II, coupling of receptors leads to high cooperativity, i.e., high Hill coefficient. For homogeneous receptors, we predict an observable transition between regime I and regime II with increasing receptor methylation or amidation.
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J.E.K. and R.G.E. contributed equally to this work.
Author contributions: J.E.K., R.G.E., and N.S.W. designed research; J.E.K., R.G.E., M.S., and Y.M. performed research; R.G.E., M.S., and N.S.W. analyzed data; and R.G.E. and N.S.W. wrote the paper.
Edited by Stephen L. Mayo, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, and approved December 15, 2005
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0507438103