Hypothesis:: Chemotaxis in Escherichia coli results from hyperstructure dynamics

Large assemblies of different molecules and macromolecules, termed hyperstructures, have been proposed to be the units of an intermediate level of organisation in bacteria. Here we propose a model for chemotaxis in Escherichia coli in which ( 1) the size and functioning of the chemosignalling hyperstructure depends not only on the protein constituents but also on cardiolipin and calcium, ( 2) the coupled transcription, translation and insertion of nascent proteins (transertion) is a potentially powerful influence in determining the size of the chemosignalling hyperstructure and therefore in affecting its function, and ( 3) a single transertional hyperstructure is jointly responsible for the synthesis of chemosignalling and flagellar proteins so as to divorce the size of the chemosignalling hyperstructure from the transertion of its constituents. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.