Final answer:
Decreasing methylation of MCPs in bacteria leads to a reduction in tumbling behavior and an increase in smooth swimming, facilitating chemotaxis, which is how bacteria move toward attractants.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you decrease methylation of MCPs (Methyl-accepting Chemotaxis Proteins), it leads to them having a higher affinity for attractants and therefore causes a decrease in the bacterial cell's tumbling frequency. This reduction in tumbling favors smooth swimming, helping bacteria to swim towards attractants more directly, contributing to a process known as chemotaxis. Decreasing methylation of MCPs does not directly activate CheA or inhibit CheB, but it can affect them indirectly since CheA activity is related to receptor activity and CheB is involved in demethylation.