Hook length of the bacterial flagellum is optimized for maximal stability of the flagellar bundle.

ABSTRACT: Most bacteria swim in liquid environments by rotating one or several flagella. The long external filament of the flagellum is connected to a membrane-embedded basal body by a flexible universal joint, the hook, which allows the transmission of motor torque to the filament. The length of the hook is controlled on a nanometer scale by a sophisticated molecular ruler mechanism. However, why its length is stringently controlled has remained elusive. We engineered and studied a diverse set of hook-length variants of Salmonella enterica. Measurements of plate-assay motility, single-cell swimming speed, and directional persistence in quasi-2D and population-averaged swimming speed and body angular velocity in 3D revealed that the motility performance is optimal around the wild-type hook length. W

SUBMITTER: Sporing I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6126814 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature