Swarming Motility: It Better Be Wet

When grown on a soft agar surface in a rich medium, cells of Salmonella typhimurium elongate, produce extra flagella and move over the surface in a coordinated manner. In mutants with defects in the chemotaxis signaling pathway, the agar plates remain dry and the cells' flagella are short. Recent work shows that the anti-sigma factor controlling late-gene flagellar synthesis is secreted less by flagella when things are dry: the flagellum senses wetness.