Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Lower SK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2965947 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Lower Steven K SK Yongsunthon Ruchirej R Casillas-Ituarte Nadia N NN Taylor Eric S ES DiBartola Alex C AC Lower Brian H BH Beveridge Terrance J TJ Buck Andrew W AW Fowler Vance G VG
Biophysical journal 20101101 9
It is well established that bacteria are able to respond to temporal gradients (e.g., by chemotaxis). However, it is widely held that prokaryotes are too small to sense spatial gradients. This contradicts the common observation that the vast majority of bacteria live on the surface of a solid substrate (e.g., as a biofilm). Herein we report direct experimental evidence that the nonmotile bacterium Staphylococcus aureus possesses a tactile response, or primitive sense of touch, that allows it to ...[more]