Haloarchaea swim slowly for optimal chemotactic efficiency in low nutrient environments

TY - JOUR

T1 - Haloarchaea swim slowly for optimal chemotactic efficiency in low nutrient environments

AU - Thornton, Katie L.

AU - Butler, Jaimi K.

AU - Davis, Seth J.

AU - Baxter, Bonnie K.

AU - Wilson, Laurence G.

N1 - This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details.

PY - 2020/9/8

Y1 - 2020/9/8

N2 - Archaea have evolved to survive in some of the most extreme environments on earth. Life in extreme, nutrient-poor conditions gives the opportunity to probe fundamental energy limitations on movement and response to stimuli, two essential markers of living systems. Here we use three-dimensional holographic microscopy and computer simulations to reveal that halophilic archaea achieve chemotaxis with power requirements one hundred-fold lower than common eubacterial model systems. Their swimming direction is stabilised by their flagella (archaella), enhancing directional persistence in a manner similar to that displayed by eubacteria, albeit with a different motility apparatus. Our experiments and simulations reveal that the cells are capable of slow but deterministic chemotaxis up a chemical gradient, in a biased random walk at the thermodynamic limit.

AB - Archaea have evolved to survive in some of the most extreme environments on earth. Life in extreme, nutrient-poor conditions gives the opportunity to probe fundamental energy limitations on movement and response to stimuli, two essential markers of living systems. Here we use three-dimensional holographic microscopy and computer simulations to reveal that halophilic archaea achieve chemotaxis with power requirements one hundred-fold lower than common eubacterial model systems. Their swimming direction is stabilised by their flagella (archaella), enhancing directional persistence in a manner similar to that displayed by eubacteria, albeit with a different motility apparatus. Our experiments and simulations reveal that the cells are capable of slow but deterministic chemotaxis up a chemical gradient, in a biased random walk at the thermodynamic limit.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090381729&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-020-18253-7

DO - 10.1038/s41467-020-18253-7

M3 - Article

C2 - 32901025

AN - SCOPUS:85090381729

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 11

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

IS - 1

M1 - 4453

ER -