The flagellar filament of Rhodobacter sphaeroides: pH-induced polymorphic transitions and analysis of the fliC gene.

ABSTRACT: Flagellar motility in Rhodobacter sphaeroides is notably different from that in other bacteria. R. sphaeroides moves in a series of runs and stops produced by the intermittent rotation of the flagellar motor. R. sphaeroides has a single, plain filament whose conformation changes according to flagellar motor activity. Conformations adopted during swimming include coiled, helical, and apparently straight forms. This range of morphological transitions is larger than that in other bacteria, where filaments alternate between left- and right-handed helical forms. The polymorphic ability of isolated R. sphaeroides filaments was tested in vitro by varying pH and ionic strength. The isolated filaments could form open-coiled, straight, normal, or curly conformations. The range of transitions made by

SUBMITTER: Shah DS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC94672 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature