Voltage-gated calcium flux mediates Escherichia coli mechanosensation

Significance Bacteria cope with changing external environments and must therefore sense and respond to their local conditions. In addition to sensing numerous chemical cues, in this paper we show that Escherichia coli can sense the local mechanical environment through voltage-induced calcium flux. This mechanism is similar to sensory neurons in vertebrates, suggesting an ancient process of voltage-regulated mechanotransduction. Mechanical contact drives pathogenicity in several species of bacteria and we now propose a potential mechanism for this sensation.