The 3-D Structure of a Complex of MotA and the Flagellar Motor Structure in a Bacterial Cell (IMAGE)

Nagoya University

The 3-D Structure of a Complex of MotA and the Flagellar Motor Structure in a Bacterial Cell

Caption

The three-dimensional structure of a complex of MotA and the flagellar motor structure in a bacterial cell. Many motile bacteria have rotating fiber (flagellum) generating from a cell surface which functions like a screw and create a driving force to move or swim. At the proximal end of flagellum there is a rotary motor which is composed of a rotor and a stator and ions, Na+ or H+, flow into cells by way of the stator. The flows of ions are converted into a rotational force by the interaction between the stator and the rotor. The three-dimensional structure of the MotA complex has been determined from a large number of electron microscope images in this report.

Credit

Michio Homma

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