Clustering of the chemoreceptor complex in Escherichia coli is independentof the methyltransferase CheR and the methylesterase CheB

The Escherichia coli chemoreceptors and their associated cytoplasmic protei ns, CheA and CheW, cluster predominantly at the cell poles. The nature of t he clustering remains a mystery. Recent studies suggest that CheR binding t o and/or methylation of the chemoreceptors may play a role in chemoreceptor complex aggregation. In this study, we examined the intracellular distribu tion of the chemoreceptors by immunoelectron microscopy in strains lacking either the methyltransferase CheR or the methylesterase CheB. The localizat ion data revealed that, in vivo, aggregation of the chemoreceptor complex w as independent of either CheR or CheB.