Encyclopedia of Biophysics

2013 Edition
| Editors: Gordon C. K. Roberts

Bacterial Flagellar Motor: Biochemical and Structural Studies

Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_198
How to cite

Synonyms

 Molecular motors;  Rotary motor

Introduction

The flagellar motor of bacteria is a rotary device fueled by the membrane proton gradient or, in some alkalophilic and marine species, the sodium-ion gradient. Flagellar motors can turn very rapidly, attaining speeds of about 18,000 revolutions per minute when fueled by protons and more than 100,000 r.p.m. in the case of sodium-driven motors. Physiological studies indicate that the flagellar motor is a tightly coupled device in the sense that it uses a constant number of ions to drive each revolution (Berg 2003; Sowa and Berry 2008). The mechanism of the motor is not yet understood in detail, but proteins with key roles in motor rotation have been identified and some key features of the mechanism have been established, partly as the result of structural and biochemical studies of the components functioning most closely in rotation. Most flagellar motors can rotate either clockwise (CW) or counterclockwise (CCW), and regulated...

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Copyright information

© European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA) 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.University of UtahSalt Lake CityUSA