Multiple CheY homologs control swimming reversals and transient pauses in Azospirillum brasilense (Biophysical Journal)

Chemotaxis together with motility helps bacteria foraging in their habitat. Motile bacteria exhibit a variety of motility patterns, often controlled by chemotaxis, to promote dispersal. Motility in many bacteria is powered by a bi-directional flagellar motor. The flagellar motor has been known to briefly pause during rotation due to incomplete reversals or stator detachment. Transient pauses were previously observed in bacterial strains lacking CheY and these events could not be explained by incomplete motor reversals or stator detachment.