Flagella of Pyrococcus furiosus: multifunctional organelles, made for swimming, adhesion to various surfaces, and cell-cell contacts.

ABSTRACT: Pyrococcus furiosus ("rushing fireball") was named for the ability of this archaeal coccus to rapidly swim at its optimal growth temperature, around 100 degrees C. Early electron microscopic studies identified up to 50 cell surface appendages originating from one pole of the coccus, which have been called flagella. We have analyzed these putative motility organelles and found them to be composed primarily (>95%) of a glycoprotein that is homologous to flagellins from other archaea. Using various electron microscopic techniques, we found that these flagella can aggregate into cable-like structures, forming cell-cell connections between ca. 5% of all cells during stationary growth phase. P. furiosus cells could adhere via their flagella to carbon-coated gold grids used for electron microscop

SUBMITTER: Nather DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1595509 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature