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Abstract
SUMMARY: Multiplication of aerobic piliated fla+ and fla− Pseudomonas fluorescens growing in aerated mixed culture gave fla+:fla− ratios approximately 1:1 over a 24 hr growth period. When fla+ and fla− were cultured simultaneously in non-aerated media, fla+ then outgrew the fla− mutant to a final (24 hr) ratio of 10:1 or greater, thereby lending supporting evidence to the view that motility is a survival factor in environments where ‘nutrients’ are limited or discontinuous.
Gravity, magnetism, and light did not influence a negative chemotactic response of fla+ P. fluorescens to hydrogen ions. Temperature variations, pH, or viscosity alterations either inhibited or stimulated motility, thereby making impossible a determination of their specific effects. Various antibiotics, membrane-active agents, and protein or DNA synthesis inhibitors were employed in attempts to interfere with the chemotactic response, but none completely inhibited chemotaxis without also affecting motility. The cytoplasmic membrane may act as a transducer of environmental stimuli in chemotaxis.
- Accepted:
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