Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Flagella and Motility in Bacteria01:18

Flagella and Motility in Bacteria

Flagella are specialized, thread-like structures that extend from a bacteria's cell envelope. They play a crucial role in motility and chemotaxis. Their structural organization and functioning exemplify sophisticated biological engineering, enabling bacterial survival and adaptability in diverse environments.Structure of the FlagellumA bacterial flagellum consists of three key components: the filament, the hook, and basal body. The filament, a long, helical structure composed of repeating...
Microtubules in Cell Motility01:24

Microtubules in Cell Motility

Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
Microtubules in Cell Motility01:24

Microtubules in Cell Motility

Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
Fimbriae, Pili, and Axial Filaments01:28

Fimbriae, Pili, and Axial Filaments

Fimbriae and pili are specialized bacterial surface structures that play pivotal roles in adhesion, genetic exchange, and motility. Composed primarily of pilin protein, these hairlike appendages are crucial for bacterial survival and pathogenicity in various environments.Fimbriae: Adhesion and PathogenicityFimbriae are fine, filamentous structures measuring 2–10 nanometers in diameter and are densely distributed on the bacterial cell surface. They facilitate bacterial adhesion to abiotic...
Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria01:10

Intracellular Movement of Viruses and Bacteria

Intracellular bacteria and viruses often comprise a group of highly infectious pathogens that can cause several diseases. Bacterial pathogens include those belonging to the genus Rickettsia responsible for conditions such as rocky mountain spotted fever and the Mediterranean spotted fever; Chlamydia, a genus responsible for a sexually transmitted disease; Coxiella burnetii, an agent responsible for Q fever. Viral pathogens include vaccinia—a poxvirus, and herpes simplex virus—a virus that...
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria01:29

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria

Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Heterogeneity and multi-scale dynamics in the molecular bearing of the bacterial flagellum.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Towards a perfusion system for functional study of membrane proteins with independent control of the electrical and chemical transmembrane potential.

Biophysical reviews·2025
Same author

Rescue of bacterial motility using two- and three-species FliC chimeras.

Journal of bacteriology·2025
Same author

Chemotaxis and Related Signaling Systems in <i>Vibrio cholerae</i>.

Biomolecules·2025
Same author

Structure and mechanism of the Zorya anti-phage defence system.

Nature·2024
Same author

Bidirectional Optical Control of Proton Motive Force in <i>Escherichia coli</i> Using Microbial Rhodopsins.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2024
Same journal

Lasing emission spectroscopy for bioanalytics and biomedicine.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

Elementary processes and mechanisms of nanopore formation induced by antimicrobial peptides and other membrane-active peptides.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

Biomineralization: Perspectives on control of crystal polymorphism, order-disorder and solvation states.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

The pivotal roles of cellular biophysics and mechanobiology in the development of Human Organs-on-Chips.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

Biophysics meets fungal biology: Characterising the fungal cell envelope and its interactions with drug-like molecules.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

Energy landscapes in molecular biology: History, principles, and perspectives.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions
06:08

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions

Published on: January 18, 2017

Bacterial flagellar motor.

Yoshiyuki Sowa1, Richard M Berry

  • 1Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics
|September 25, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The bacterial flagellar motor is a nano-machine that rotates filaments for movement. This review details its structure, function, and torque generation using advanced single-molecule techniques.

More Related Videos

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series
07:59

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series

Published on: May 10, 2020

Visualizing Bacterial Motility Based on a Color Reaction
04:44

Visualizing Bacterial Motility Based on a Color Reaction

Published on: February 15, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions
06:08

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions

Published on: January 18, 2017

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series
07:59

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series

Published on: May 10, 2020

Visualizing Bacterial Motility Based on a Color Reaction
04:44

Visualizing Bacterial Motility Based on a Color Reaction

Published on: February 15, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • The bacterial flagellar motor is a complex rotary nano-machine.
  • It drives bacterial motility via ion flux (H+ or Na+).
  • Motor direction switching is a key behavior in many species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on bacterial flagellar motor structure and function.
  • To highlight recent advancements, particularly from single-molecule techniques.
  • To explore the torque-generating mechanism.

Main Methods:

  • Genetics
  • Single-molecule biophysics
  • Biophysical techniques

Main Results:

  • The bacterial flagellar motor operates as a rotary machine.
  • Ion flux powers motor rotation.
  • Recent single-molecule studies provide new insights into motor mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • Significant progress has been made in understanding the bacterial flagellar motor.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the torque-generating mechanism.
  • Single-molecule techniques are crucial for future discoveries.