Feedback control architecture of the R. sphaeroides chemotaxis network

This paper investigates the chemotaxis behavior of the bacterium R. sphaeroides. We review the results of a recent study comparing different possible mathematical models of this bacterium´s chemotaxis decision mechanisms. It was found that only one of the aforesaid models could explain the experimental chemotactic response data. From a control theoretic perspective, we show that, compared to the other models posed, this model exhibits better and more robust chemotactic performance. This decision mechanism parallels a feedback architecture that has been used extensively to improve performance in engineered systems. We suggest that this mechanism may play a role in maintaining the chemotactic performance of this and potentially other bacteria.