Question

Upon reorienting after a tumble, an E. coli cell Choose one:______.

A. points itself in a direction away from a repellent.
B. points itself in a random direction.
C. needs to wait for the flagellar motors to "cool down" before it resumes a run.
D. becomes nonmotile for several seconds while it decides which in direction to go.
E. points itself in the direction of an attractant.

Answer 1

Answer: B. Points itself in a random direction

Explanation: E.coli moves itself from place to place by rotating its flagella, it uses counterclockwise motions or rotations of its flagella to propel itself forward and the organism appears to be swimming.

However, upon taking a tumble, E.coli seems unable to go anywhere but after reorienting itself as stated above, it swims or rotates away in a random direction. It has been observed that direction change or tumbling usually occurs when E.coli is moving away from food sources and these series of movements is in a bid to stay where food is abundant.