# BEHAVIOR OF BACTERIA--BIOCHEMISTRY AND GENETICS

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 1988 · $148,299

## Abstract

The objective of this project is to discover the mechanisms that bacteria use
for getting attracted or repelled by chemicals (chemotaxis): 1) How are the
chemicals sensed?  We now know that there are chemoreceptors for this function.
2) How do bacterial flagella work?  We now know that they function by rotaating,
like a propellor, and they can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise.  3)
How is the sensed information transmitted to the flagella to tell them in which
direction to rotate, in order to bring the bacterium toward the attractants or
away from the repellents?

We discovered the methylation of a set of membrane proteins, the so-called
methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs), that serve to communicate between
the chemoreceptors and the flagella.  These proteins will be further studied
during the coming year.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3124447
- **Project number:** 5R01AI008746-20
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **SAM.gov UEI:** LCLSJAGTNZQ7
- **Principal Investigator:** JULIUS ADLER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $148,299
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1978-12-01 → 1988-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3124447

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3124447, BEHAVIOR OF BACTERIA--BIOCHEMISTRY AND GENETICS (5R01AI008746-20). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3124447. Licensed CC0.

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