title: Growth rate control of flagellar assembly in Escherichia coli strain RP437.
abstract: The flagellum is a rotary motor that enables bacteria to swim in liquids and swarm over surfaces. Numerous global regulators control flagellar assembly in response to cellular and environmental factors. Previous studies have also shown that flagellar assembly is affected by the growth-rate of the cell. However, a systematic study has not yet been described under controlled growth conditions. Here, we investigated the effect of growth rate on flagellar assembly in Escherichia coli using steady-state chemostat cultures where we could precisely control the cell growth-rate. Our results demonstrate that flagellar abundance correlates with growth rate, where faster growing cells produce more flagella. They also demonstrate that this growth-rate dependent control occurs through the expression of the flagellar master regulator, FlhD4C2. Collectively, our results demonstrate that motility is intimately coupled to the growth-rate of the cell.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Baddiley Clark Building, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, United Kingdom.|Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, 61801, United States.
authors.forename: Santosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koirala
authors.affiliation: Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Baddiley Clark Building, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, United Kingdom.|Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Picton
authors.affiliation: Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Baddiley Clark Building, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, United Kingdom.|Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Strahl
authors.affiliation: Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Hoskisson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, 61801, United States.
authors.forename: Christopher V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics &Statistics, Herschel Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Colin S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Gillespie
authors.affiliation: Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Baddiley Clark Building, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, United Kingdom.|Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Phillip D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Aldridge
mesh_terms: D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D049071:Endopeptidase Clp / Q000502:physiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C483572:ClpP protease, E coli; D049071:Endopeptidase Clp