title: The essential tension: opposed reactions in bacterial two-component regulatory systems.
abstract: In many different bacteria several sensory-response functions are controlled by systems of similar design. Most consist of two proteins, one of which regulates the phosphorylation of the other in response to an environmental stimulus. Regulation is achieved by balancing opposed phosphorylation and dephosphorylation reactions against each other. Remarkably, such a system can generate a signal whose strength is independent of the concentration of either component.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Silhavy
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases