Role of CheY1 and CheY2 in the chemotaxis of A. tumefaciens toward acetosyringone.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens has a chemtaxis operon, which includes orf1, orf2, cheY1, cheA, cheR, cheB, cheY2, orf9, and orf10. In-frame deletions of cheY1 and cheY2 were constructed and the chemosensory behavior of the mutants was examined on swarm plates and in a chemotaxis assay toward acetosyringone. The cheY2 mutant (C1/delY2) showed impaired chemotactic capabilities in both swarming and chemotaxis assays. The effect of lacking CheY1 on chemotaxis is less severe than that of CheY2, under the conditions studied.