Analysis of proteins regulating polar flagellum localisation and number in Vibrio cholerae

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The bacterium Vibrio cholerae causes worldwide epidemics and pandemics of the severe diarrhoeal disease cholera. V. cholerae swims through liquids by rotating a long corkscrew-like propeller, called a flagellum, which is an important factor in the ability of the bacterium to colonise the human host and cause disease. The flagellum is positioned at one end, or pole, of the cell, as is the machinery that exports the major virulence factor cholera toxin. To ensure that each V. cholerae cell has a single flagellum at one pole, the cell must carefully regulate when and where this structure is built. I aim to establish a project that will address two questions: How is the flagellum specifically targeted to one cell pole? How is the number of flagella per cell regulated? I will build on preliminary work to determine the functions of two proteins, FlhF and FlhG, that target the flagellum to the right place in the cell and regulate flagellar number, respectively. Through our studies, we will build up a picture of the molecular networks that link flagellum biogenesis, cell asymmetry (or polarity), and cell division.