A Chemotaxis-Like Pathway of Azorhizobium caulinodans Controls Flagella-Driven Motility, Which Regulates Biofilm Formation, Exopolysaccharide Biosynthesis, and Competitive Nodulation.

The genome of the Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 contains a unique chemotaxis gene cluster (che) including five chemotaxis genes: cheA, cheW, cheY, cheB, and cheR. Analysis of the role of the chemotaxis cluster of A. caulinodans using deletion mutant strains revealed that CheA or the Che signaling pathway controls chemotaxis behavior and flagella-driven motility and plays important roles in formation of biofilms and production of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS).