Coordinated Switching of Bacterial Flagellar Motors: Evidence for Direct Motor-Motor Coupling?

Bo Hu and Yuhai Tu
Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 158703 – Published 9 April 2013

Abstract

The swimming of Escherichia coli is powered by its multiple flagellar motors. Each motor spins either clockwise or counterclockwise, under the control of an intracellular regulator, CheY-P. There can be two mechanisms (extrinsic and intrinsic) to coordinate the switching of bacterial motors. The extrinsic one arises from the fact that different motors in the same cell sense a common input (CheY-P) which fluctuates near the motors’ response threshold. An alternative, intrinsic mechanism is direct motor-motor coupling which makes synchronized switching energetically favorable. Here, we develop simple models for both mechanisms and uncover their different hallmarks. A quantitative comparison to the recent experiments suggests that the direct coupling mechanism may be accountable for the observed sharp correlation between motors in a single Escherichia coli. Possible origins of this coupling (e.g., hydrodynamic interaction) are discussed.

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  • Received 20 October 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.158703

© 2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Bo Hu and Yuhai Tu

  • IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, USA

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Issue

Vol. 110, Iss. 15 — 12 April 2013

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