The presence and absence of periplasmic rings in bacterial flagellar motors correlates with stator type.

ABSTRACT: The bacterial flagellar motor, a cell-envelope-embedded macromolecular machine that functions as a cellular propeller, exhibits significant structural variability between species. Different torque-generating stator modules allow motors to operate in different pH, salt or viscosity levels. How such diversity evolved is unknown. Here, we use electron cryo-tomography to determine the in situ macromolecular structures of three Gammaproteobacteria motors: Legionella pneumophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Shewanella oneidensis, providing the first views of intact motors with dual stator systems. Complementing our imaging with bioinformatics analysis, we find a correlation between the motor's stator system and its structural elaboration. Motors with a single H⁺-d

SUBMITTER: Kaplan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6375700 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature