Flagellum
Flagellum is a whip-like structure that allows a cell to move. They are found in all three domains of the cellular world: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.
Structure[edit | edit source]
In bacteria, the flagellum is a complex rotating structure driven by a molecular motor at the base. In eukaryotes, it is a complex bending structure driven by molecular motors that slide microtubules.
Function[edit | edit source]
Flagella are primarily used for cell movement. They are not fast enough to allow bacteria and sperm to swim against a current, but they can allow a cell to move in a particular direction in a liquid medium.
Types[edit | edit source]
There are three types of flagella: bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic.
Bacterial[edit | edit source]
The bacterial flagellum is made up of the protein flagellin. Its shape is a 20 nanometer-thick hollow tube. It is helical and has a sharp bend just outside the outer membrane; this "hook" allows the axis of the helix to point directly away from the cell.
Archaeal[edit | edit source]
Archaeal flagella are a different structure which has a similar function and overall appearance to bacterial flagella, but are not homologous.
Eukaryotic[edit | edit source]
Eukaryotic flagella are complex cellular projections that lash back and forth. Unlike bacterial flagella, they are composed of a bundle of nine fused pairs of microtubule doublets surrounding two central single microtubules.
See Also[edit | edit source]
Flagellum Resources | ||
---|---|---|
|
|
Translate to: East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski
Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD