Signal Transduction Pathways Involving Protein Phosphorylation in Prokaryotes

Abstract

Bacteria are capable of sensing a wide variety of environmental signals, including changes in chemical concentrations, the presence of a host organism, or variation in physical parameters such as temperature, osmolarity, viscosity, or light. One response to changing conditions is to move to a more "favorable" locale; changes in locomotive behavior can be observed less than one second after a change in chemical composition of the medium. Another possible course of action is to adapt the cell to the new environment, either by changing enzyme activity or by altering expression of specific genes or groups of genes. The bacterium may use the modified enzymes or new gene products to adjust to its surroundings temporarily, or to establish a new long-term state (e.g. the sporulation response to starvation).

Additional details