Building a flagellum outside the bacterial cell.
Change log
Authors
Evans, Lewis DB
Hughes, Colin
Fraser, Gillian M
Abstract
Flagella, the helical propellers that extend from the bacterial surface, are a paradigm for how complex molecular machines can be built outside the living cell. Their assembly requires ordered export of thousands of structural subunits across the cell membrane and this is achieved by a type III export machinery located at the flagellum base, after which subunits transit through a narrow channel at the core of the flagellum to reach the assembly site at the tip of the nascent structure, up to 20μm from the cell surface. Here we review recent findings that provide new insights into flagellar export and assembly, and a new and unanticipated mechanism for constant rate flagellum growth.
Description
Keywords
bacterial flagellum, cell motility, chain mechanism, protein export, rotary nanomotor, type III secretion system, Bacteria, Bacterial Proteins, Cell Membrane, Flagella, Protein Transport
Journal Title
Trends Microbiol
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0966-842X
1878-4380
1878-4380
Volume Title
22
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Publisher DOI
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (092096/Z/10/Z)
Wellcome Trust (082895/Z/07/Z)
Wellcome Trust (082895/Z/07/Z)