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Related Experiment Videos

Continuum model for polymorphism of bacterial flagella.

Srikanth V Srigiriraju1, Thomas R Powers

  • 1Division of Engineering, Box D, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|August 11, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Bacterial flagellar filaments undergo shape changes due to external factors. A new theory explains these transformations using molecular switches and core strain, predicting different filament states.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Structural Biology

Background:

  • Bacterial flagellar filaments exhibit dynamic shape changes in response to mechanical and chemical stimuli.
  • These polymorphic transformations exemplify conformational changes in large macromolecular assemblies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a novel theoretical framework for understanding bacterial flagellar filament polymorphism.
  • To investigate the role of molecular switches and elastic mismatch in filament structural transitions.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of macromolecular assemblies.
  • Calculation of phase diagrams for different filament states (helical, straight).
  • Analysis of filament response to external mechanical moments.

Main Results:

  • A new theory for filament polymorphism is presented, incorporating two molecular switches and elastic mismatch strain.
  • The phase diagram distinguishing helical and straight states was calculated.
  • The response of a helical filament to an applied external moment was determined.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed theory provides a mechanistic explanation for bacterial flagellar filament polymorphism.
  • The findings elucidate the relationship between molecular structure, mechanical properties, and filament behavior.
  • This work contributes to understanding conformational changes in large biological machines.

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