Bacterial Spirochaetal Movement

Bacterial Structure
Part 1
Structure of Fimbriae or Pili
Functions of Fimbriae or Pili
Parts of Flagella
Bacterial Movement
Spirochaetal Movement
Gliding Movement
Nucleoid (Nucleus)
Plasmids
Classes of Plasmids
Gene Pickup and Sex Factors
R Plasmids
Plasmids Conferring Pathogenecity to mammals
Col Plasmids
Degradative Plasmids
Mercury Resistance Plasmids
Tumor Inducing Plasmid in Agrobacterium Tumifaciens
Cryptic Plasmids
Staphylococcal Plasmids

Bacterial Spirochaetal Movement

Bacterial Spirochaetal Movement - Spirochaetes are flexible helical bacteria which can perform a variety of movements such as flexing and spinning, free swimming and creeping on surfaces.

The axial filament is an internal (periplasmic) structure situated in the space between the inner and the outer membranes of the cell envelope.

It is composed of 2-100 or more filament. which resemble bacterial flagella in structure and composition. The insertion of the fibrils into the inner membrane is through a basal-body-like structure.

To this is attached a hook region, and then a shaft region resembling the shaft of the flagellum.

The fibrils originate at both ends of the cell and overlap in the central region.

They consist of a protein (MW 37, 000) similar to flagellin.

Cyclic amino acids are present in low quantities and cysteine is absent.

Spirochaetal fibrils are essentially internalized flagella.

Home | Site map | Submit Article | Resources | Search