Thrust and Power Output of the Bacterial Flagellar Motor: A Micromagnetic Tweezers Approach.

ABSTRACT: One of the most common swimming strategies employed by microorganisms is based on the use of rotating helical filaments, called flagella, that are powered by molecular motors. Determining the physical properties of this propulsive system is crucial to understanding the behavior of these organisms. Furthermore, the ability to dynamically monitor the activity of the flagellar motor is a valuable indicator of the overall energetics of the cell. In this work, inherently magnetic bacteria confined in micromagnetic CoFe traps are used to directly and noninvasively determine the flagellar thrust force and swimming speed of motile cells. The technique permits determination of the ratio of propulsive force/swimming speed (the hydrodynamic resistance) and the power output of the flagellar motor for

SUBMITTER: Pierce CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6818178 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature