Science News Review

The Surprising Technology of the Bacterial Flagellum

Jun 24 at 2:02pm by Aileen

[Photo Credit: Zina Deretsky, NSF]

Scientists at Indiana University Bloomington and Harvard published a report in Science June 20 describing a protein “clutch” that disengages the bacterial tail from the “tiny but powerful engine” that powers its rotation. The flagellum is the means that many bacterial cells - including Bacillus subtilis used in this research - use to ’swim’ in liquid environments where they live.

Microscopic ‘Clutch’ Puts Flagellum in Neutral

The clutch mechanism was discovered by accident when the researchers were studying the formation of bacterial “biofilm,” where the cells accumulate and become stationary, biofilms are involved in bacterial infections. It is hoped that the discovery will give nanotechnologists some ideas about how to regulate tiny engines they create in the lab.

“We think it’s pretty cool that evolving bacteria and human engineers arrived at a similar solution to the same problem,” says IU biologist Daniel Kearns, leader of the project.