title: Behavior of Rhizobium meliloti in oxygen gradients.
abstract: Rhizobium meliloti cells responded to an abrupt change in oxygen concentration by changing the cell speed (chemokinesis), but they did not alter the frequency at which swimming cells stopped briefly (aerotaxis). Changes in cell speed upon stimulation with oxygen coincided with changes in membrane potential. The cells did not form an aerotactic band in a spatial gradient of oxygen as do the cells of other bacterial species. The fixL and fixJ genes which encode a heme-containing protein kinase that senses oxygen and a response regulator, respectively, were not involved in the behavior of R. meliloti in oxygen gradients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, CA 92350, USA.
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Zhulin
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Lois
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006420:Hemeproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000071677:Histidine Kinase; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009154:Mutation; D010100:Oxygen / Q000502:physiology*; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016962:Sinorhizobium meliloti / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006420:Hemeproteins; C069289:FixJ protein, Bacteria; D011494:Protein Kinases; C067929:FixL protein, Bacteria; D000071677:Histidine Kinase; D010100:Oxygen