Team:SDU-Denmark/project-t

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(Hyperflagellation)
(Background)
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Motility can be a very beneficial quality for a microorganism. Evolution has therefore provided bacteria with two general means of transportation; the flagella and the pili. These qualities allow the bacteria to move away from a hostile environment and towards more favorable conditions. Flagella and pili are however viewed as a virulence factor as they also serve as an advantage in colonizing a host organism and yet they can cause a strong immune response (Josenhans). <br><br>
Motility can be a very beneficial quality for a microorganism. Evolution has therefore provided bacteria with two general means of transportation; the flagella and the pili. These qualities allow the bacteria to move away from a hostile environment and towards more favorable conditions. Flagella and pili are however viewed as a virulence factor as they also serve as an advantage in colonizing a host organism and yet they can cause a strong immune response (Josenhans). <br><br>
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Many organisms are able to synthesize a flagellum, if the external environment calls for it. The synthesis of a flagellum is a huge and energy consuming process and is therefore tightly regulated by the bacteria’s external environment. One of the most well characterized flagellation systems is the one found in ''E. coli''. Here at least 50 genes are involved in the hierarchical synthesis and operation of the flagella. These genes are sorted into 15 operons which are expressed in a transcriptional cascade separated into three classes. Class I consists of the master operon ''flhDC''. The active FlhDC protein is a hexamer organized into an FlhD<sub>4</sub>C<sub>2</sub> complex with a computed value of 96,4kDa (Wang). The homodimeric FlhC protein is able to bind DNA, while the FlhD homodimers are not. The formation of the FlhDC complex however, stabilizes and increases the DNA binding ability (Claret). The transcription of ''flhDC'' is heavily regulated by nutritional and environmental conditions. Flagellum synthesis is inhibited at high temperatures, at high salt concentrations, at extreme pH or in the presence of carbohydrates, low molecular alcohols or DNA gyrase inhibitors, as these conditions stimulate growth as opposed to motility (Li). Because the flagellum synthesis is so energy consuming, the process is not started unless the environment calls for motility rather than growth. In fact, in situations where nutrition is plenty over a long period, the bacteria will focus on growth and over time lose the ability to synthesize the flagellum, as seen with the ‘’E. coli’’ strain Mg1655 localized in mouse intestines (Gauger).<br><br>
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Many organisms are able to synthesize a flagellum, if the external environment calls for it. The synthesis of a flagellum is a huge and energy consuming process and is therefore tightly regulated by the bacteria’s external environment. One of the most well characterized flagellation systems is the one found in ''E. coli''. Here at least 50 genes are involved in the hierarchical synthesis and operation of the flagella. These genes are sorted into 15 operons which are expressed in a transcriptional cascade separated into three classes. Class I consists of the master operon ''flhDC''. The active FlhDC protein is a hexamer organized into an FlhD<sub>4</sub>C<sub>2</sub> complex with a computed value of 96,4kDa (Wang). The homodimeric FlhC protein is able to bind DNA, while the FlhD homodimers are not. The formation of the FlhDC complex however, stabilizes and increases the DNA binding ability (Claret). The transcription of ''flhDC'' is heavily regulated by nutritional and environmental conditions. Flagellum synthesis is inhibited at high temperatures, at high salt concentrations, at extreme pH or in the presence of carbohydrates, low molecular alcohols or DNA gyrase inhibitors, as these conditions stimulate growth as opposed to motility (Li). Because the flagellum synthesis is so energy consuming, the process is not started unless the environment calls for motility rather than growth. In fact, in situations where nutrition is plenty over a long period, the bacteria will focus on growth and over time lose the ability to synthesize the flagellum, as seen with the ''E. coli'' strain Mg1655 localized in mouse intestines (Gauger).<br><br>
[[Image:Team-SDU-Denmark-flagella-overview-1.png |600px]]
[[Image:Team-SDU-Denmark-flagella-overview-1.png |600px]]
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Revision as of 17:39, 26 October 2010