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Sodium-Driven Flagellar Motor: Structure and Mechanisms

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Biophysics

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Synonyms

Energy transduction; Molecular motors; Rotary motor

Definition

Ion-driven motor of flagella is very unique and is a force generation nanomachine which is a supramolecular complex. The flagellar motor, which is a molecular machine composed of many proteins, is embedded in inner membrane of bacteria and generates torque by ion flux.

Introduction

Many motile bacteria move by rotating flagella. These are filamentous organs extending from the cell body. A flagellum consists of three parts, the filament, the hook, and the basal body. The filament functions as a helical propeller, and the basal body acts as a rotary motor embedded in the cell membranes. The hook works as a universal joint between these two structures that transmit torque smoothly. The motor can run reversibly in both directions: clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW). Energy for rotation of the motor comes from the electrochemical gradient of specific ions across the cytoplasmic membrane, and motors are classified...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan

    Michio Homma & Seiji Kojima

Authors
  1. Michio Homma
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  2. Seiji Kojima
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michio Homma .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University Leicester MRC Centre, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Gordon Roberts

  2. Dept Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Anthony Watts

Section Editor information

  1. OCISB, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Judith P. Armitage

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© 2018 European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA)

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Homma, M., Kojima, S. (2018). Sodium-Driven Flagellar Motor: Structure and Mechanisms. In: Roberts, G., Watts, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_197-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_197-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9

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