scholarly journals Hook-length of the bacterial flagellum is optimized for maximal stability of the flagellar bundle

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imke Spöring ◽  
Vincent A. Martinez ◽  
Christian Hotz ◽  
Jana Schwarz-Linek ◽  
Keara L. Grady ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Body ◽  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Nanometer Scale ◽  
Hook Length ◽  
Optimal Length ◽  
Directed Movement ◽  
Bacterial Flagellum ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Molecular Ruler

AbstractMost 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 ofSalmonella 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. We conclude that too short hooks may be too stiff to function as a junction and too long hooks may buckle and create instability in the flagellar bundle. Accordingly, peritrichously flagellated bacteria move most efficiently as the distance travelled per body rotation is maximal and body wobbling is minimized. Thus, our results suggest that the molecular ruler mechanism evolved to control flagellar hook growth to the optimal length consistent with efficient bundle formation. The hook-length control mechanism is therefore a prime example of how bacteria evolved elegant, but robust mechanisms to maximize their fitness under specific environmental constraints.Author summaryMany bacteria use flagella for directed movement in liquid environments. The flexible hook connects the membrane-embedded basal-body of the flagellum to the long, external filament. Flagellar function relies on self-assembly processes that define or self-limit the lengths of major parts. The length of the hook is precisely controlled on a nanometer-scale by a molecular ruler mechanism. However, the physiological benefit of tight hook-length control remains unclear. Here, we show that the molecular ruler mechanism evolved to control the optimal length of the flagellar hook, which is consistent with efficient motility performance. These results highlight the evolutionary forces that enable flagellated bacteria to optimize their fitness in diverse environments and might have important implications for the design of swimming micro-robots.

scholarly journals Bacterial Flagellum versus Carbon Nanotube: A Review Article on the Potential of Bacterial Flagellum as a Sustainable and Green Substance for the Synthesis of Nanotubes

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Charles Ng Wai Chun ◽  
Husnul Azan Tajarudin ◽  
Norli Ismail ◽  
Baharin Azahari ◽  
Muaz Mohd Zaini Makhtar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Carbon Nanotube ◽  
Basal Body ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Nanometer Scale ◽  
Structural Components ◽  
Bacterial Flagellum ◽  
Bacterial Flagella

Bacterial flagella are complex multicomponent structures that help in cell locomotion. It is composed of three major structural components: the hook, the filament and basal body. The special mechanical properties of flagellar components make them useful for the applications in nanotechnology especially in nanotube formation. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are nanometer scale tube-shaped material and it is very useful in many applications. However, the production of CNTs is costly and detrimental to the environment as it pollutes the environment. Therefore, bacterial flagella have become a highly interesting research area especially in producing bacterial nanotubes that could replace CNTs. In this review article, we will discuss about bacterial flagellum and carbon nanotubes in the context of their types and applications. Then, we will focus and review on the characteristics of bacterial flagellum in comparison to carbon nanotubes and subsequently, the advantages of bacterial flagellum as nanotubes in comparison with carbon nanotubes.

scholarly journals Controlling minimal and maximal hook-length of the bacterial flagellum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Guse ◽  
Manfred Rohde ◽  
Marc Erhardt
Keyword(s):  
Protein Production ◽  
Control Mechanism ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Minimal Length ◽  
Deletion Mutants ◽  
Hook Length ◽  
Bacterial Flagellum ◽  
Terminal Domain ◽  
Molecular Ruler ◽  
Measuring Tape

AbstractHook-length control is a central checkpoint during assembly of the bacterial flagellum. During hook growth, a 405 amino acids (aa) protein, FliK, is intermittently secreted and thought to function as a molecular measuring tape that, in Salmonella, controls hook-length to 55 nm ± 6 nm. The underlying mechanism involves interactions of both the α-helical, N-terminal domain of FliK (FliKN) with the hook and hook cap, and of its C-terminal domain with a component of the export apparatus. However, various deletion mutants of FliKN display uncontrolled hook-length, which is not consistent with a ruler mechanism. Here, we carried out an extensive deletion analysis of FliKN to investigate its contribution in the hook-length control mechanism. We identified FliKN mutants deleted for up to 80 aa that retained wildtype motility. However, the short FliK variants did not produce shorter hook-lengths as expected from a physical ruler. Rather, the minimal length of the hook depends on the level of hook protein production and secretion. Our results thus support a model in which FliK functions as a hook growth terminator protein that limits the maximal length of the hook, and not as a molecular ruler that physically measures hook-length.

The three-dimensional structure of frozen-hydrated left- and right-handed forms of bacterial flagellar filaments from an identical serotype

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 298-299
Author(s):  
S. Trachtenberg ◽  
D. J. DeRosier
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Basal Body ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Protein Species ◽  
Liquid Environment ◽  
Bacterial Flagellum ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Rotary Motor ◽  
Helical Parameters

The bacterial cell is propelled through the liquid environment by means of one or more rotating flagella. The bacterial flagellum is composed of a basal body (rotary motor), hook (universal coupler), and filament (propellor). The filament is a rigid helical assembly of only one protein species — flagellin. The filament can adopt different morphologies and change, reversibly, its helical parameters (pitch and hand) as a function of mechanical stress and chemical changes (pH, ionic strength) in the environment.

Analyzing reactions of single mechanoenzyme molecules by light microscopy

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 426-427
Author(s):  
Jeff Gelles
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
Reaction Mechanisms ◽  
Transient State ◽  
Nanometer Scale ◽  
Reaction Intermediates ◽  
Enzyme Molecule ◽  
Directed Movement ◽  
Enzyme Molecules ◽  
Individual Enzyme ◽  
Single Reaction

Mechanoenzymes are enzymes which use a chemical reaction to power directed movement along biological polymer. Such enzymes include the cytoskeletal motors (e.g., myosins, dyneins, and kinesins) as well as nucleic acid polymerases and helicases. A single catalytic turnover of a mechanoenzyme moves the enzyme molecule along the polymer a distance on the order of 10−9 m We have developed light microscope and digital image processing methods to detect and measure nanometer-scale motions driven by single mechanoenzyme molecules. These techniques enable one to monitor the occurrence of single reaction steps and to measure the lifetimes of reaction intermediates in individual enzyme molecules. This information can be used to elucidate reaction mechanisms and determine microscopic rate constants. Such an approach circumvents difficulties encountered in the use of traditional transient-state kinetics techniques to examine mechanoenzyme reaction mechanisms.

scholarly journals The role of the FliK molecular ruler in hook-length control inSalmonella enterica

2010 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1272-1284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Erhardt ◽  
Takanori Hirano ◽  
Yichu Su ◽  
Koushik Paul ◽  
Daniel H. Wee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hook Length ◽  
Molecular Ruler

scholarly journals Bacterial Flagellar Filament: A Supramolecular Multifunctional Nanostructure

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7521
Author(s):  
Marko Nedeljković ◽  
Diego Emiliano Sastre ◽  
Eric John Sundberg
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Basal Body ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Bacterial Flagellum ◽  
Capping Proteins ◽  
Flagellar Filament ◽  
Flagellar Assembly

The bacterial flagellum is a complex and dynamic nanomachine that propels bacteria through liquids. It consists of a basal body, a hook, and a long filament. The flagellar filament is composed of thousands of copies of the protein flagellin (FliC) arranged helically and ending with a filament cap composed of an oligomer of the protein FliD. The overall structure of the filament core is preserved across bacterial species, while the outer domains exhibit high variability, and in some cases are even completely absent. Flagellar assembly is a complex and energetically costly process triggered by environmental stimuli and, accordingly, highly regulated on transcriptional, translational and post-translational levels. Apart from its role in locomotion, the filament is critically important in several other aspects of bacterial survival, reproduction and pathogenicity, such as adhesion to surfaces, secretion of virulence factors and formation of biofilms. Additionally, due to its ability to provoke potent immune responses, flagellins have a role as adjuvants in vaccine development. In this review, we summarize the latest knowledge on the structure of flagellins, capping proteins and filaments, as well as their regulation and role during the colonization and infection of the host.

Directed Self-Assembly of Silica Nanoparticles into Nanometer-Scale Patterned Surfaces Using Spin-Coating

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (16) ◽  
pp. 1427-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Xia ◽  
A. Biswas ◽  
D. Li ◽  
S. R. J. Brueck
Keyword(s):  
Silica Nanoparticles ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Spin Coating ◽  
Nanometer Scale ◽  
Patterned Surfaces

scholarly journals Genetic Analysis of the Salmonella FliE Protein That Forms the Base of the Flagellar Axial Structure

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan J. Hendriksen ◽  
Hee Jung Lee ◽  
Alexander J. Bradshaw ◽  
Keiichi Namba ◽  
Fabienne F. V. Chevance ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Adaptor Protein ◽  
Ring Structure ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Dual Roles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bacterial Flagellum ◽  
Type Iii

The FliE component of the bacterial flagellum is the first protein secreted through the flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) that is capable of self-assembly into the growing bacterial organelle. The FliE protein plays dual roles in the assembly of the Salmonella flagellum as the final component of the flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) and as an adaptor protein that anchors the rod (drive shaft) of the flagellar motor to the membrane-imbedded MS-ring structure.

scholarly journals Expanding the molecular-ruler process through vapor deposition of hexadecanethiol

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2339-2344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra M Patron ◽  
Timothy S Hooker ◽  
Daniel F Santavicca ◽  
Corey P Causey ◽  
Thomas J Mullen
Keyword(s):  
Vapor Phase ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Solution Deposition ◽  
Precise Control ◽  
Vapor Phase Deposition ◽  
Great Utility ◽  
Complex Architectures ◽  
Molecular Ruler ◽  
Physical And Chemical

The development of methods to produce nanoscale features with tailored chemical functionalities is fundamental for applications such as nanoelectronics and sensor fabrication. The molecular-ruler process shows great utility for this purpose as it combines top-down lithography for the creation of complex architectures over large areas in conjunction with molecular self-assembly, which enables precise control over the physical and chemical properties of small local features. The molecular-ruler process, which most commonly uses mercaptoalkanoic acids and metal ions to generate metal-ligated multilayers, can be employed to produce registered nanogaps between metal features. Expansion of this methodology to include molecules with other chemical functionalities could greatly expand the overall versatility, and thus the utility, of this process. Herein, we explore the use of alkanethiol molecules as the terminating layer of metal-ligated multilayers. During this study, it was discovered that the solution deposition of alkanethiol molecules resulted in low overall surface coverage with features that varied in height. Because features with varied heights are not conducive to the production of uniform nanogaps via the molecular-ruler process, the vapor-phase deposition of alkanethiol molecules was explored. Unlike the solution-phase deposition, alkanethiol islands produced by vapor-phase deposition exhibited markedly higher surface coverages of uniform heights. To illustrate the applicability of this method, metal-ligated multilayers, both with and without an alkanethiol capping layer, were utilized to create nanogaps between Au features using the molecular-ruler process.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document