Bacterial speed through fluid medium
Range | ≤25 μm/sec |
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Organism | bacteria |
Reference | Elston TC, Oster G. Protein turbines. I: The bacterial flagellar motor. Biophys J. 1997 Aug73(2):703-21. p.703 left column top paragraphPubMed ID9251788 |
Primary Source | Anderson, R. 1975. Formation of the bacterial flagellar bundle. In Swimming and Flying in Nature. T. Wu, C. Brokaw, and C. Brennen, editors. Plenum, New York. AND Childress, S. 1981. Mechanics of Swimming and Flying. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. |
Comments | "The bacterial flagellar motor (BFM) is a rotary engine that derives its energy from the electrochemical gradient established between the cell cytoplasm and the periplasmic lumen. This gradient drives ion flow through the motor, which is transduced into a rotary torque. When the motor rotates counterclockwise, the helical flagella propagate a wave away from the cell body. This causes adjacent flagella to intertwine and form a propulsive corkscrew that drives the bacterium through the fluid medium at speeds of up to 25µm/s (primary sources)." |
Entered by | Uri M |
ID | 109847 |