What is the basic structure of flagellum?

A bacterial flagellum has three basic parts: a filament, a hook, and a basal body. The filament is the rigid, helical structure that extends from the cell surface. It is composed of the protein flagellin arranged in helical chains so as to form a hollow core.

What is the structure and function of flagella?

Flagella are primarily used for cell movement and are found in prokaryotes as well as some eukaryotes. The prokaryotic flagellum spins, creating forward movement by a corkscrew shaped filament. A prokaryote can have one or several flagella, localized to one pole or spread out around the cell.

What is proton motive force to to flagellum?

Bacterial flagella are driven by a rotary motor that utilizes the free energy stored in the electrochemical proton gradient across the cytoplasmic membrane to do mechanical work. This supports the hypothesis that the movement of protons through the motor is tightly coupled to the rotation of its flagellar filament.

What is the structure of prokaryotic flagella?

The bacterial flagellum is a rotary structure driven from a motor at the base, with the filament acting as a propeller. The flagellum consists of three major substructures: the filament, the hook and the basal body.

How are protons involved in the flagellar rotation?

In flagellar rotation only proton movements are involved and not ATP. Protons flowing back into the cell through the basal body rings of each flagellum drives it to rotate. These rings constitute the rotary motor.

What kind of structure is a bacterial flagella?

Bacterial flagella are made of flagellin; its mechanism is rotation in which a rotor at the base of the flagella drives the rotation, powered by a proton or chemical gradient. Flagella are structures used by cells to move in aqueous environments. Bacterial flagella act like propellers.

How does the flagellar motor get its power?

The flagellar motor requires power for its proper functioning and it gets this power from the proton gradient across the membrane. Usually, the proton concentration outside the cell is much concentrated as compared to the inside of the cell. The proton moves through the interface between mot A and mot B proteins (stator proteins).

How does the flagellum of a bacterium move?

The basic structure of a bacterial flagellum consists of a basal body, hook, and filament. Directional movement depends on the arrangement of the flagella. Bacteria can move in response to a variety of environmental signals, including light and chemical gradients, such as sodium.