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English: A Gram-negative bacterial flagellum. A flagellum (plural: flagella) is a long, slender projection from the cell body, whose function is to propel a unicellular or small multicellular organism. The depicted type of flagellum is found in bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, and rotates like a propeller when the bacterium swims.
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In some swarming bacteria, the flagellum can also function as a sensory organelle, being sensitive to wetness outside the cell. [6] Across the three domains of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryota, the flagellum has a different structure, protein composition, and mechanism of propulsion but shares the same function of providing motility.
Flagella are whip-like structures protruding from the bacterial cell wall and are responsible for bacterial motility (movement). The arrangement of flagella about the bacterial cell is unique to the species observed. Common forms include: Monotrichous – Single flagellum; Lophotrichous – A tuft of flagella found at one of the cell poles
The direction of rotation of the flagella in bacteria comes from the occupancy of the proton channels along the perimeter of the flagellar motor. [25] The bacterial flagellum is a protein-nanomachine that converts electrochemical energy in the form of a gradient of H+ or Na+ ions into mechanical work.
[2] [3] [4] Coccus refers to the shape of the bacteria and can contain multiple genera, such as staphylococci or streptococci. Cocci can grow in pairs, chains, or clusters, depending on their orientation and attachment during cell division. In contrast to many bacilli-shaped bacteria, most cocci bacteria do not have flagella and are non-motile. [5]
Prokaryotes, both bacteria and archaea, primarily use flagella for locomotion. Bacterial flagella are helical filaments, each with a rotary motor at its base which can turn clockwise or counterclockwise. [117] [118] [119] They provide two of several kinds of bacterial motility. [120] [121]
Two anteriorly inserted whiplash flagella. Each flagellum originates from a basal granule in the anterior papillate or non-papillate region of the cytoplasm. Each flagellum shows a typical 9+2 arrangement of the component fibrils. Contractile vacuoles are near the bases of flagella. Prominent cup or bowl-shaped chloroplast is present.