Sensory Rhodopsin II Transducer HtrII Is Also Responsible for Serine Chemotaxis in the Archaeon Halobacterium salinarum

Previously, we demonstrated that the methyl-accepting protein HtrII is the transducer for photoreceptor sensory rhodopsin II. Here, we provide experimental evidence that HtrII is also a chemotransducer. Using an agarose-in-plug bridge method, we show that an HtrII overexpression strain has a quicker response to serine than does an HtrII deletion strain. Furthermore, an in vivo flow assay demonstrates that the deletion strain is unable to modulate methylesterase activity after serine addition or photostimulation, while the overexpression strain shows distinct methanol peaks following both types of stimuli.