Bacterial behavior

Abstract

A wide variety of bacteria have the ability to change their pattern of swimming behavior in response to changes in environmental conditions and thus move toward favorable growth conditions. It has become apparent that the response to such diverse stimuli as light, temperature, and concentrations of nutrients is coordinated through the same network of cytoplasmic proteins and that the core components of this network are conserved among bacterial species. Here we outline the mechanism through which swimming is effected, the range of receptor proteins used to detect external signals, and how these signals are coordinated through cytoplasmic proteins to elicit a change in swimming behavior.