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Genes and Genomics
Published in Firdos Alam Khan, Biotechnology Fundamentals, 2020
A flagellum is a tail-like structure that projects from the cell body of certain prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and is mostly involved in locomotion and movement. There are some notable differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic flagella, such as protein composition, structure, and mechanism of propulsion. An example of a flagellated bacterium is the ulcer-causing Helicobacter pylori, which uses multiple flagella to propel itself through the mucus lining to reach the stomach epithelium. An example of a eukaryotic flagellated cell is the sperm cell, which uses its flagellum to propel itself through the female reproductive tract. Eukaryotic flagella are structurally identical to eukaryotic cilia, although distinctions are sometimes made according to function and structure.
Genes and genomics
Published in Firdos Alam Khan, Biotechnology Fundamentals, 2018
A flagellum is a tail-like structure that projects from the cell body of certain prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and functions in locomotion. There are some notable differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic flagella, such as protein composition, structure, and mechanism of propulsion. An example of a flagellated bacterium is the ulcer-causing Helicobacter pylori, which uses multiple flagella to propel itself through the mucus lining to reach the stomach epithelium. An example of a eukaryotic flagellated cell is the sperm cell, which uses its flagellum to propel itself through the female reproductive tract. Eukaryotic flagella are structurally identical to eukaryotic cilia, although distinctions are sometimes made according to function and/or length.
Modeling Swimming Micro/Nano-Systems in Low Reynolds Number
Published in Ning Xi, Mingjun Zhang, Guangyong Li, Modeling and Control for Micro/Nano Devices and Systems, 2017
Stefan Nwandu-Vincent, Scott Lenaghan, Mingjun Zhang
Prokaryotic flagella are filamentous helical protein structures used for swimming in aqueous environments. Swimming speeds vary greatly between species. Escherichia coli swim at a rate of 25–35 μm/s, while Bdellovibrio bacteriovoruscan reach up to 160 μm/s [4]. The flagellum is made up of the basal body, filament, and hook. The basal body acts as a motor. The motor, a reversible one, converts energy into useful mechanical motion similar to the motor found in cars and other mechanical devices. The flagella filament is rotated by this motor thus allowing the cell to swim. The hook couples the filament and the basal body. The energy for rotation is received from the gradients of ions across the cytoplasmic membrane; these ions are either protons or sodium. The motor works similar to a turbine, driven by the flow of ions [5]. These motors are exceptionally fast and have been reported to have speeds of up to 100,000 rpm. The hook connects the basal body and the filament and acts as a universal joint [4]. Most prokaryotic flagella can rotate both counterclockwise and clockwise, which contributes to their ability to change direction during swimming.
Experimental investigation of biomimetic propulsion through a scaled up branched flagellated artificial nanoswimmer
Published in Australian Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2022
Shivani Nain, Jitendra Singh Rathore, Niti Nipun Sharma
Both designs of nanoswimmer as depicted in Figure 3; have same length and diameter for flagella, only number of branches and spacing x between branches are getting changed. The motor flagella assembly is mounted on an aluminium cantilever beam which is 30 cm long. The cross section of beam is rectangular with 5 cm by 0.186 cm. Data of deflection of cantilever are recorded for 512 s through Keyence laser micrometre. The schematic of experimental setup for nanoswimmer is shown in Figure 1(b). The time varying deflection is experienced by cantilever beam due to planar motion of branched flagella. A scotch yoke mechanism translates rotational motion into linear motion to engender planar wave movement of attached flagella. The cantilever beam is deflected due to thrust force generated by planar motion of branched flagella in viscous silicon oil medium which is measured by Keyence LS-7601 laser micrometre.
Biomechanics of cilia-assisted flow with hybrid nanofluid phenomena impulses by convective conditions
Published in Waves in Random and Complex Media, 2022
S. Ijaz, N. Nasir, H. sadaf, R. Mehmood
Cilia and flagella protrude from the cell. They are made up of microtubules and sheltered by adding the plasma membrane. They are motile and intended to move the cell itself or to move substances over or around the cell; however, cilia have numerous probable sensory tasks, particularly in nerve cells, where they are immobile. The differences between cilia and flagella include location, length, and movement. Cilia are aplenty on a cell surface, whereas flagella are solitary or rare. Cilia beat together with synchronization, while flagella proceed freely. Cilia are shorter than flagella. Cilia originate only in eukaryotes, whereas flagella originate in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Algicidal bacteria against cyanobacteria: Practical knowledge from laboratory to application
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2023
Jesús Morón-López, Liliana Serwecińska, Łucja Balcerzak, Sława Glińska, Joanna Mankiewicz-Boczek
Direct attack requires bacteria to actively seek out and attach to cyanobacterial cells, which has often been associated with parasitic or swarming and entrapment lifestyles, as in the case of the genera Bdellovibrio and Myxococcus (Bauer & Forchhammer, 2021). The presence of flagella confers the ability for motility and chemotaxis (Figure 2), but also other multiple roles in virulence, biofilm formation, adhesion and pathogenicity (Duan et al., 2013). Interestingly, cell-to-cell contact was necessary for effective lysis of M. aeruginosa and Aphanizomeon flos-aquae with Alcaligenes denitrificans (Manage et al., 2000), Aeromonas bestiarum (B. S. Park et al., 2022), Bacillus mycoides (Gumbo et al., 2014), and B. cereus (Shunyu et al., 2006), all of them flagellated taxa. Osman et al. (2017) also observed up-regulation of genes encoding flagella formation in Stenotrophomonas rhizophila following close contact and attack against of M. aeruginosa and A. flos-aquae. An exception could be argued from Zeng et al. (2021), who demonstrated that the non-flagellated but filamentous Streptomyces globisporus preyed on M. aeruginosa through direct hyphal contact. However, species of Streptomyces have been shown to be capable of utilizing the motility machinery of other flagellated bacteria at least for spore dispersal (Muok et al., 2021). Therefore, the presence of this organelle not only facilitates the transition between the free-living and particle-attached lifestyle but could also be a prerequisite for some algicidal bacteria to reach, attach to and lyse their prey. The role of flagella in algicidal bacteria has not been explored in previous reviews and research articles, hence it is a topic that deserves further investigation and should be considered when characterizing algicidal bacteria.