The chemotaxis operon is crucial for the bacterium's ability to sense and respond to environmental signals, which is vital for its motility and pathogenicity. This operon consists of cheW2, orf566, cheA1, cheB2, orf569 and cheY2 genes and is located about 400kb from the flaB operon. cheW2 encodes a coupling protein that is involved in chemotaxis, facilitating interactions between sensory proteins and response regulators. The functions of orf566 and orf569 genes are not well defined but has been found to be an open reading frame. cheA1 encodes a histidine kinase that acts as a sensor in the chemotaxis signaling pathway, initiating the response to environmental signals. cheB2 encodes a methylesterase involved in modification of sensory proteins. cheY2 encodes a response regulator that interacts with the flagellar motor to influence the direction of movement based on the chemotactic signals.

Chemotaxis operon activation References