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[45] [46] However, unlike the bacterial flagellum archaellum has not shown to play a role in archaeal biofilm formation. [47] In archaeal biofilms, the only proposed function is thus far during the dispersal phase of biofilm when archaeal cells escape the community using their archaellum to further initiate the next round of biofilm formation.
The recently elucidated archaeal flagellum, or archaellum, is analogous—but not homologous—to the bacterial one. In addition to no sequence similarity being detected between the genes of the two systems, the archaeal flagellum appears to grow at the base rather than the tip, and is about 15 nanometers (nm) in diameter rather than 20.
While bacterial cells often have many flagellar filaments, each of which rotates independently, the archaeal flagellum is composed of a bundle of many filaments that rotates as a single assembly. Bacterial flagella grow by the addition of flagellin subunits at the tip; archaeal flagella grow by the addition of subunits to the base.
[117] [118] [119] They provide two of several kinds of bacterial motility. [120] [121] Archaeal flagella are called archaella, and function in much the same way as bacterial flagella. Structurally the archaellum is superficially similar to a bacterial flagellum, but it differs in many details and is considered non-homologous. [122] [116]
The bacterial flagellum shares a common ancestor with the type III secretion system, [125] [126] while archaeal flagella appear to have evolved from bacterial type IV pili. [127] In contrast with the bacterial flagellum, which is hollow and assembled by subunits moving up the central pore to the tip of the flagella, archaeal flagella are ...
[16] [17] [18] They provide two of several kinds of bacterial motility. [19] [20] Archaeal flagella are called archaella, and function in much the same way as bacterial flagella. Structurally the archaellum is superficially similar to a bacterial flagellum, but it differs in many details and is considered non-homologous. [21] [15]
[2]: 396 The bacterial flagellum is the best known example. [25] [26] About half of all known bacteria have at least one flagellum; thus, given the ubiquity of bacteria, rotation may in fact be the most common form of locomotion used by living systems—though its use is restricted to the microscopic environment. [27]
This last idea has not received much acceptance, because flagella lack DNA and do not show ultrastructural similarities to bacteria or to archaea (see also: Evolution of flagella and Prokaryotic cytoskeleton). According to Margulis and Dorion Sagan, [20] "Life did not take over the globe by combat, but by networking" (i.e., by cooperation).