Electron microscopic analysis of membrane assemblies formed by the bacterial chemotaxis receptor Tsr

The serine receptor (Tsr) from Escherichia coli is representative of a large family of transmembrane receptor proteins that mediate bacterial chemotaxis by influencing cell motility through signal transduction pathways. Tsr and other chemotaxis receptors form patches in the inner membrane that are often localized at the poles of the bacteria. In an effort to understand the structural constraints that dictate the packing of receptors in the plane of the membrane, we have used electron microscopy to examine ordered assemblies of Tsr in membrane extracts isolated from cells engineered to overproduce the receptor. Three types of assemblies were observed: ring-like "micelles" with a radial arrangement of receptor subunits, two-dimensional crystalline arrays with approximate hexagonal symmetry, and "zippers," which are receptor bilayers that result from the antiparallel interdigitation of cytoplasmic domains. The registration among Tsr molecules in the micelle and zipper assemblies was sufficient for identification of the receptor domains and for determination of their contributions to the total receptor length. The overall result of this analysis is compatible with an atomic model of the receptor dimer that was constructed primarily from the X-ray crystal structures of the periplasmic and cytoplasmic domains. Significantly, the micelle and zipper structures were also observed in fixed, cryosectioned cells expressing the Tsr receptor at high abundance, suggesting that the modes of Tsr assembly found in vitro are relevant to the situation in the cell.     

Cooperative signaling among bacterial chemoreceptors

Four chemoreceptors in Escherichia coli mediate responses to chemicals in the environment. The receptors self-associate and localize to the cell poles. This aggregation implies that interactions among receptors are important parameters of signal processing during chemotaxis. We examined this phenomenon using a receptor-coupled in vitro assay of CheA kinase activity. The ability of homogeneous populations of the serine receptor Tsr and the aspartate receptor Tar to stimulate CheA was directly proportional to the ratio of the receptor to total protein in cell membranes up to a fraction of 50%. Membranes containing mixed populations of Tar and Tsr supported an up to 4-fold greater stimulation of CheA than expected on the basis of the contributions of the individual receptors. Peak activity was seen at a Tar:Tsr ratio of 1:4. This synergy was observed only when the two proteins were expressed simultaneously, suggesting that, under our conditions, the fundamental "cooperative receptor unit" is relatively static, even in the absence of CheA and CheW. Finally, we observed that inhibition of receptor-stimulated CheA activity by serine or aspartate required significantly higher concentrations of ligand for membranes containing mixed Tsr and Tar populations than for membranes containing only Tsr (up to 10(2)-fold more serine) or Tar (up to 10(4)-fold more aspartate). Together with recent analyses of the interactions of Tsr and Tar in vivo, our results reveal the emergent properties of mixed receptor populations and emphasize their importance in the integrated signal processing that underlies bacterial chemotaxis.     

Chemotactic Signaling by Single-Chain Chemoreceptors

Bacterial chemoreceptors of the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (MCP) family operate in commingled clusters that enable cells to detect and track environmental chemical gradients with high sensitivity and precision. MCP homodimers of different detection specificities form mixed trimers of dimers that facilitate inter-receptor communication in core signaling complexes, which in turn assemble into a large signaling network. The two subunits of each homodimeric receptor molecule occupy different locations in the core complexes. One subunit participates in trimer-stabilizing interactions at the trimer axis, the other lies on the periphery of the trimer, where it can interact with two cytoplasmic proteins: CheA, a signaling autokinase, and CheW, which couples CheA activity to receptor control. As a possible tool for independently manipulating receptor subunits in these two structural environments, we constructed and characterized fused genes for the E. coli serine chemoreceptor Tsr that encoded single-chain receptor molecules in which the C-terminus of the first Tsr subunit was covalently connected to the N-terminus of the second with a polypeptide linker. We showed with soft agar assays and with a FRET-based in vivo CheA kinase assay that single-chain Tsr~Tsr molecules could promote serine sensing and chemotaxis responses. The length of the connection between the joined subunits was critical. Linkers nine residues or shorter locked the receptor in a kinase-on state, most likely by distorting the native structure of the receptor HAMP domain. Linkers 22 or more residues in length permitted near-normal Tsr function. Few single-chain molecules were found as monomer-sized proteolytic fragments in cells, indicating that covalently joined receptor subunits were responsible for mediating the signaling responses we observed. However, cysteine-directed crosslinking, spoiling by dominant-negative Tsr subunits, and rearrangement of ligand-binding site lesions revealed subunit swapping interactions that will need to be taken into account in experimental applications of single-chain chemoreceptors.     

Genetic evidence for interaction between the CheW and Tsr proteins during chemoreceptor signaling by Escherichia coli.

This study presents two lines of genetic evidence consistent with the premise that CheW, a cytoplasmic component of the chemotactic signaling system of Escherichia coli, interacts directly with Tsr, the membrane-bound serine chemoreceptor. (i) We demonstrated phenotypic suppression between 10 missense mutant CheW proteins and six missense mutant Tsr proteins. Most of these mutant proteins had leaky chemotaxis defects and were partially dominant, implying relatively minor functional alterations. Their suppression pattern was allele specific, suggesting that the mutant proteins have compensatory conformational changes at sites of interactive contact. (ii) We isolated five partially dominant CheW mutations and found that four of them were similar or identical to the suppressible CheW mutant proteins. This implies that there are only a few ways in which CheW function can be altered to produce dominant defects and that dominance is mediated through interactions of CheW with Tsr. The amino acid replacements in these mutant proteins were inferred from their DNA sequence changes. The CheW mutations were located in five regularly spaced clusters in the first two-thirds of the protein. The Tsr mutations were located in a highly conserved region in the middle of the cytoplasmic signaling domain. The hydrophobic moments, overall hydrophobicities, and predicted secondary structures of the mutant segments were consistent with the possibility that they are located at the surface of the CheW and Tsr molecules and represent the contact sites between these two proteins.     

HAMP domain-mediated signal transduction probed with a mycobacterial adenylyl cyclase as a reporter

HAMP domains, ～55 amino acid motifs first identified in histidine kinases, adenylyl cyclases, methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins, and phosphatases, operate as signal mediators in two-component signal transduction proteins. A bioinformatics study identified a coevolving signal-accepting network of 10 amino acids in membrane-delimited HAMP proteins. To probe the functionality of this network we used a HAMP containing mycobacterial adenylyl cyclase, Rv3645, as a reporter enzyme in which the membrane anchor was substituted by the Escherichia coli chemotaxis receptor for serine (Tsr receptor) and the HAMP domain alternately with that from the protein Af1503 of the archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus or the Tsr receptor. In a construct with the Tsr-HAMP, cyclase activity was inhibited by serine, whereas in a construct with the HAMP domain from A. fulgidus, enzyme activity was not responsive to serine. Amino acids of the signal-accepting network were mutually swapped between both HAMP domains, and serine signaling was examined. The data biochemically tentatively established the functionality of the signal-accepting network. Based on a two-state gearbox model of rotation in HAMP domain-mediated signal propagation, we characterized the interaction between permanent and transient core residues in a coiled coil HAMP structure. The data are compatible with HAMP rotation in signal propagation but do not exclude alternative models for HAMP signaling. Finally, we present data indicating that the connector, which links the α-helices of HAMP domains, plays an important structural role in HAMP function.     

Noncritical Signaling Role of a Kinase–Receptor Interaction Surface in the Escherichia coli Chemosensory Core Complex

In Escherichia coli chemosensory arrays, transmembrane receptors, a histidine autokinase CheA, and a scaffolding protein CheW interact to form an extended hexagonal lattice of signaling complexes. One interaction, previously assigned a crucial signaling role, occurs between chemoreceptors and the CheW-binding P5 domain of CheA. Structural studies showed a receptor helix fitting into a hydrophobic cleft at the boundary between P5 subdomains. Our work aimed to elucidate the in vivo roles of the receptor–P5 interface, employing as a model the interaction between E. coli CheA and Tsr, the serine chemoreceptor. Crosslinking assays confirmed P5 and Tsr contacts in vivo and their strict dependence on CheW. Moreover, the P5 domain only mediated CheA recruitment to polar receptor clusters if CheW was also present. Amino acid replacements at CheA.P5 cleft residues reduced CheA kinase activity, lowered serine response cooperativity, and partially impaired chemotaxis. Pseudoreversion studies identified suppressors of P5 cleft defects at other P5 groove residues or at surface-exposed residues in P5 subdomain 1, which interacts with CheW in signaling complexes. Our results indicate that a high-affinity P5–receptor binding interaction is not essential for core complex function. Rather, P5 groove residues are probably required for proper cleft structure and/or dynamic behavior, which likely impact conformational communication between P5 subdomains and the strong binding interaction with CheW that is necessary for kinase activation. We propose a model for signal transmission in chemotaxis signaling complexes in which the CheW–receptor interface plays the key role in conveying signaling-related conformational changes from receptors to the CheA kinase.     

Tsr-GFP accumulates linearly with time at cell poles, and can be used to differentiate 'old' versus 'new' poles, in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli , the chemotaxis receptor protein Tsr localizes abundantly to cell poles. The current study, utilizing a Tsr–GFP fusion protein and time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of individual cell lineages, demonstrates that Tsr accumulates approximately linearly with time at the cell poles and that, in consequence, more Tsr is present at the old pole of each cell than at its newborn pole. The rate of pole-localized Tsr accumulation is large enough that old and new poles can always be reliably distinguished, even for cells whose old poles have had only one generation to accumulate signal. Correspondingly, Tsr–GFP can be reliably used to assign new and old poles to any cell without use of information regarding pole heritage, thus providing a useful tool to analyse cells whose prior history is not available. The absolute level of Tsr–GFP at the old pole of a cell also provides a rough estimate of pole (and thus cell) age.     

Carboxyl-terminal extensions beyond the conserved pentapeptide reduce rates of chemoreceptor adaptational modification

Sensory adaptation in bacterial chemotaxis is mediated by covalent modification of chemoreceptors. Specific glutamyl residues are methylated and demethylated in reactions catalyzed by methyltransferase CheR and methylesterase CheB. In the well-characterized chemosensory systems of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., efficient modification by either enzyme is dependent on a conserved pentapeptide sequence, NWETF or NWESF, present at the extreme carboxyl terminus of high-abundance chemoreceptors. To what extent is position at the extreme carboxyl terminus important for pentapeptide-mediated enhancement of adaptational modification? Is this position equally important for enhancement of both enzyme activities? To address these questions, we created forms of high-abundance receptor Tsr or Tar carrying one, six, or eight additional amino acids extending beyond the pentapeptide at their carboxyl termini and assayed methylation, demethylation, deamidation, and ability to mediate chemotaxis. In vitro and in vivo, all three carboxyl-terminal extensions reduced pentapeptide-mediated enhancement of rates of adaptational modification. CheB-catalyzed reactions were more affected than CheR-catalyzed reactions. Effects were less severe for the complete sensory system in vivo than for the minimal system of receptor and modification enzymes in vitro. Notably, extended receptors mediated chemotaxis as efficiently as wild-type receptors, providing a striking example of robustness in chemotactic systems. This could reflect compensatory reductions of rates for both modification reactions, mitigation of effects of slower reactions by the intertwined circuitry of signaling and adaptation, or tolerance of a range of reactions rates for adaptational modification. No matter what the mechanism, the observations provide a challenging test for mathematical models of chemotaxis.     

Transmembrane Signaling in Chimeras of the Escherichia coli Aspartate and Serine Chemotaxis Receptors and Bacterial Class III Adenylyl Cyclases

The Escherichia coli chemoreceptors for serine (Tsr) and aspartate (Tar) and several bacterial class III adenylyl cyclases (ACs) share a common molecular architecture; that is, a membrane anchor that is linked via a cytoplasmic HAMP domain to a C-terminal signal output unit. Functionality of both proteins requires homodimerization. The chemotaxis receptors are well characterized, whereas the typical hexahelical membrane anchor (6TM) of class III ACs, suggested to operate as a channel or transporter, has no known function beyond a membrane anchor. We joined the intramolecular networks of Tsr or Tar and two bacterial ACs, Rv3645 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and CyaG from Arthrospira platensis, across their signal transmission sites, connecting the chemotaxis receptors via different HAMP domains to the catalytic AC domains. AC activity in the chimeras was inhibited by micromolar concentrations of l-serine or l-aspartate in vitro and in vivo. Single point mutations known to abolish ligand binding in Tar (R69E or T154I) or Tsr (R69E or T156K) abrogated AC regulation. Co-expression of mutant pairs, which functionally complement each other, restored regulation in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, these studies demonstrate chemotaxis receptor-mediated regulation of chimeric bacterial ACs and connect chemical sensing and AC regulation.     

Chemoreceptors in Caulobacter crescentus: trimers of receptor dimers in a partially ordered hexagonally packed array

Chemoreceptor arrays are macromolecular complexes that form extended assemblies primarily at the poles of bacterial cells and mediate chemotaxis signal transduction, ultimately controlling cellular motility. We have used cryo-electron tomography to determine the spatial distribution and molecular architecture of signaling molecules that comprise chemoreceptor arrays in wild-type Caulobacter crescentus cells. We demonstrate that chemoreceptors are organized as trimers of receptor dimers, forming partially ordered hexagonally packed arrays of signaling complexes in the cytoplasmic membrane. This novel organization at the threshold between order and disorder suggests how chemoreceptors and associated molecules are arranged in signaling assemblies to respond dynamically in the activation and adaptation steps of bacterial chemotaxis.     

Constitutively signaling fragments of Tsr, the Escherichia coli serine chemoreceptor.

Tsr, the serine chemoreceptor of Escherichia coli, has two signaling modes. One augments clockwise (CW) flagellar rotation, and the other augments counterclockwise (CCW) rotation. To identify the portion of the Tsr molecule responsible for these activities, we isolated soluble fragments of the Tsr cytoplasmic domain that could alter the flagellar rotation patterns of unstimulated wild-type cells. Residues 290 to 470 from wild-type Tsr generated a CW signal, whereas the same fragment with a single amino acid replacement (alanine 413 to valine) produced a CCW signal. The soluble components of the chemotaxis phosphorelay system needed for expression of these Tsr fragment signals were identified by epistasis analysis. Like full-length receptors, the fragments appeared to generate signals through interactions with the CheA autokinase and the CheW coupling factor. CheA was required for both signaling activities, whereas CheW was needed only for CW signaling. Purified Tsr fragments were also examined for effects on CheA autophosphorylation activity in vitro. Consistent with the in vivo findings, the CW fragment stimulated CheA, whereas the CCW fragment inhibited CheA. CheW was required for stimulation but not for inhibition. These findings demonstrate that a 180-residue segment of the Tsr cytoplasmic domain can produce two active signals. The CCW signal involves a direct contact between the receptor and the CheA kinase, whereas the CW signal requires participation of CheW as well. The correlation between the in vitro effects of Tsr signaling fragments on CheA activity and their in vivo behavioral effects lends convincing support to the phosphorelay model of chemotactic signaling.     

Ligand-specific activation of Escherichia coli chemoreceptor transmethylation

Adaptation in the chemosensory pathways of bacteria like Escherichia coli is mediated by the enzyme-catalyzed methylation (and demethylation) of glutamate residues in the signaling domains of methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs). MCPs can be methylated in trans, where the methyltransferase (CheR) molecule catalyzing methyl group transfer is tethered to the C terminus of a neighboring receptor. Here, it was shown that E. coli cells exhibited adaptation to attractant stimuli mediated through either engineered or naturally occurring MCPs that were unable to tether CheR as long as another MCP capable of tethering CheR was also present, e.g., either the full-length aspartate or serine receptor (Tar or Tsr). Methylation of isolated membrane samples in which engineered tethering and substrate receptors were coexpressed demonstrated that the truncated substrate receptors (trTsr) were efficiently methylated in the presence of tethering receptors (Tar with methylation sites blocked) relative to samples in which none of the MCPs had tethering sites. The effects of ligand binding on methylation were investigated, and an increase in rate was produced only with serine (the ligand specific for the substrate receptor trTsr); no significant change in rate was produced by aspartate (the ligand specific for the tethering receptor Tar). Although the overall efficiency of methylation was lower, receptor-specific effects were also observed in trTar- and trTsr-containing samples, where neither Tar nor Tsr possessed the CheR binding site at the C terminus. Altogether, the results are consistent with a ligand-induced conformational change that is limited to the methylated receptor dimer and does not spread to adjacent receptor dimers.     

Stimulus response coupling in bacterial chemotaxis: receptor dimers in signalling arrays

In the Escherichia coli chemotaxis system, a family of chemoreceptors in the cytoplasmic membrane binds stimulatory ligands and regulates the activity of an associated histidine kinase CheA to modulate swimming behaviour and thereby cause a net migration towards attractants and away from repellents. The chemoreceptors themselves have been shown to be predominantly dimeric, but in the presence of the kinase CheA plus an adapter protein, CheW, much higher order structures have been observed. Recent results indicate that transmembrane signalling occurs within receptor clusters rather than through isolated dimers. We propose that the mechanism involves receptor arrays where binding of ligands at the outside surface of the membrane affects lateral packing interactions that cause perturbations in the organization of the signalling array at the opposing surface of the membrane. Results with receptor chimeras as well as findings with tyrosine kinase receptors suggest that this mechanism may represent a common theme in membrane receptor function.     

Functional Suppression of HAMP Domain Signaling Defects in the E. coli Serine Chemoreceptor

HAMP domains play key signaling roles in many bacterial receptor proteins. The four-helix HAMP bundle of the homodimeric Escherichia coli serine chemoreceptor (Tsr) interacts with an adjoining four-helix sensory adaptation bundle to regulate the histidine autokinase CheA bound to the cytoplasmic tip of the Tsr molecule. The adaptation helices undergo reversible covalent modifications that tune the stimulus-responsive range of the receptor: unmodified E residues promote kinase-off output, and methylated E residues or Q replacements at modification sites promote kinase-on output. We used mutationally imposed adaptational modification states and cells with various combinations of the sensory adaptation enzymes, CheR and CheB, to characterize the signaling properties of mutant Tsr receptors that had amino acid replacements in packing layer 3 of the HAMP bundle and followed in vivo CheA activity with an assay based on Förster resonance energy transfer. We found that an alanine or a serine replacement at HAMP residue I229 effectively locked Tsr output in a kinase-on state, abrogating chemotactic responses. A second amino acid replacement in the same HAMP packing layer alleviated the I229A and I229S signaling defects. Receptors with the suppressor changes alone mediated chemotaxis in adaptation-proficient cells but exhibited altered sensitivity to serine stimuli. Two of the suppressors (S255E and S255A) shifted Tsr output toward the kinase-off state, but two others (S255G and L256F) shifted output toward a kinase-on state. The alleviation of locked-on defects by on-shifted suppressors implies that Tsr-HAMP has several conformationally distinct kinase-active output states and that HAMP signaling might involve dynamic shifts over a range of bundle conformations.     

Spatial organization in bacterial chemotaxis

Spatial organization of signalling is not an exclusive property of eukaryotic cells. Despite the fact that bacterial signalling pathways are generally simpler than those in eukaryotes, there are several well‐documented examples of higher‐order intracellular signalling structures in bacteria. One of the most prominent and best‐characterized structures is formed by proteins that control bacterial chemotaxis. Signals in chemotaxis are processed by ordered arrays, or clusters, of receptors and associated proteins, which amplify and integrate chemotactic stimuli in a highly cooperative manner. Receptor clusters further serve to scaffold protein interactions, enhancing the efficiency and specificity of the pathway reactions and preventing the formation of signalling gradients through the cell body. Moreover, clustering can also ensure spatial separation of multiple chemotaxis systems in one bacterium. Assembly of receptor clusters appears to be a stochastic process, but bacteria evolved mechanisms to ensure optimal cluster distribution along the cell body for partitioning to daughter cells at division.     

Receptor-receptor coupling in bacterial chemotaxis: evidence for strongly coupled clusters

Receptor coupling is believed to explain the high sensitivity of the Escherichia coli chemotaxis network to small changes in levels of chemoattractant. We compare in detail the activity response of coupled two-state receptors for different models of receptor coupling: weakly-coupled extended one-dimensional and two-dimensional lattice models and the Monod-Wyman-Changeux model of isolated strongly-coupled clusters. We identify features in recent data that distinguish between the models. Specifically, researchers have measured the receptor activity response to steps of chemoattractant for a variety of engineered E. coli strains using in vivo fluorescence resonance energy transfer. We find that the fluorescence resonance energy transfer results for wild-type and for a low-activity mutant are inconsistent with the lattice models of receptor coupling, but consistent with the Monod-Wyman-Changeux model of receptor coupling, suggesting that receptors form isolated strongly-coupled clusters.     

Phenol sensing by Escherichia coli chemoreceptors: a nonclassical mechanism

The four transmembrane chemoreceptors of Escherichia coli sense phenol as either an attractant (Tar) or a repellent (Tap, Trg, and Tsr). In this study, we investigated the Tar determinants that mediate its attractant response to phenol and the Tsr determinants that mediate its repellent response to phenol. Tar molecules with lesions in the aspartate-binding pocket of the periplasmic domain, with a foreign periplasmic domain (from Tsr or from several Pseudomonas chemoreceptors), or lacking nearly the entire periplasmic domain still mediated attractant responses to phenol. Similarly, Tar molecules with the cytoplasmic methylation and kinase control domains of Tsr still sensed phenol as an attractant. Additional hybrid receptors with signaling elements from both Tar and Tsr indicated that the transmembrane (TM) helices and HAMP domain determined the sign of the phenol-sensing response. Several amino acid replacements in the HAMP domain of Tsr, particularly attractant-mimic signaling lesions at residue E248, converted Tsr to an attractant sensor of phenol. These findings suggest that phenol may elicit chemotactic responses by diffusing into the cytoplasmic membrane and perturbing the structural stability or position of the TM bundle helices, in conjunction with structural input from the HAMP domain. We conclude that behavioral responses to phenol, and perhaps to temperature, cytoplasmic pH, and glycerol, as well, occur through a general sensing mechanism in chemoreceptors that detects changes in the structural stability or dynamic behavior of a receptor signaling element. The structurally sensitive target for phenol is probably the TM bundle, but other behaviors could target other receptor elements.     

Enhanced function conferred on low-abundance chemoreceptor Trg by a methyltransferase-docking site.

In Escherichia coli, high-abundance chemoreceptors are present in cellular amounts approximately 10-fold higher than those of low-abundance receptors. These two classes exhibit inherent differences in functional activity. As sole cellular chemoreceptors, high-abundance receptors are effective in methyl-accepting activity, in establishing a functional balance between the two directions of flagellar rotation, in timely adaptation, and in mediating efficient chemotaxis. Low-abundance receptors are not, even when their cellular content is increased. We found that the low-abundance receptor Trg acquired essential functional features of a high-abundance receptor by the addition of the final 19 residues of the high-abundance receptor Tsr. The carboxy terminus of this addition carried a methyltransferase-binding pentapeptide, NWETF, present in high-abundance receptors but absent in the low-abundance class. Provision of this docking site not only enhanced steady-state and adaptational methylation but also shifted the abnormal, counterclockwise bias of flagellar rotation toward a more normal rotational balance and vastly improved chemotaxis in spatial gradients. These improvements can be understood as the result of both enhanced kinase activation by the more methylated receptor and timely adaptation by more efficient methyl-accepting activity. We conclude that the crucial functional difference between the low-abundance receptor Trg and its high-abundance counterparts is the level of methyl-accepting activity conferred by the methyltransferase-docking site.     

Methylation segments are not required for chemotactic signalling by cytoplasmic fragments of Tsr, the methyl-accepting serine chemoreceptor of Escherichia coli

The serine chemoreceptor Tsr and other methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs) control the swimming behaviour of Escherichia coli by generating signals that influence the direction of flagellar rotation. MCPs produce clockwise (CW) signals by stimulating the autophosphorylation activity of CheA, a cytoplasmic histidine kinase, and counter-clockwise signals by inhibiting CheA. CheW couples CheA to chemoreceptor control by promoting formation of MCP/CheW/CheA ternary complexes. To identify MCP structural determinants essential for CheA stimulation, we inserted fragments of the tsr coding region into an inducible expression vector and used a swimming contest called 'pseudotaxis' to select for transformant cells carrying CW-signalling plasmids. The shortest active fragment we found, Tsr (350–470), stimulated CheA in a CheW-dependent manner, as full-length Tsr molecules do. It spans a highly conserved 'core' (370–420) that probably specifies the CheA and CheW contact sites and other determinants needed for stimulatory control of CheA. Tsr (350–470) also carries portions of the left and right arms flanking the core, which probably play roles in regulating MCP signalling state. However, this Tsr fragment lacks all of the methylation sites characteristic of MCP molecules, indicating that methylation segments are not essential for generating receptor output signals.     

Organization of the receptor-kinase signaling array that regulates Escherichia coli chemotaxis

Motor behavior in prokaryotes is regulated by a phosphorelay network involving a histidine protein kinase, CheA, whose activity is controlled by a family of Type I membrane receptors. In a typical Escherichia coli cell, several thousand receptors are organized together with CheA and an Src homology 3-like protein, CheW, into complexes that tend to be localized at the cell poles. We found that these complexes have at least 6 receptors per CheA. CheW is not required for CheA binding to receptors, but is essential for kinase activation. The kinase activity per mole of bound CheA is proportional to the total bound CheW. Similar results were obtained with the E. coli serine receptor, Tsr, and the Salmonella typhimurium aspartate receptor, Tar. In the case of Tsr, under conditions optimal for kinase activation, the ratio of subunits in complexes is approximately 6 Tsr:4 CheW:1 CheA. Our results indicate that information from numerous receptors is integrated to control the activity of a relatively small number of kinase molecules.