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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions

Published on: January 18, 2017

Steps in the bacterial flagellar motor.

Thierry Mora¹, Howard Yu, Yoshiyuki Sowa

¹Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.

Plos Computational Biology

|October 24, 2009

Summary

A new physical model explains the stepping behavior of the bacterial flagellar motor. Energy stored in protein springs drives this rotary machine, crucial for bacterial motility.

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Molecular Machines
Bacterial Motility

Background:

The bacterial flagellar motor is a complex rotary machine enabling bacterial locomotion.
Recent studies reveal stepwise rotation at low speeds, indicating underlying mechanical processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose a physical model explaining the stepping behavior of the bacterial flagellar motor.
To investigate the role of energy storage in protein springs and torque-driven forces.

Main Methods:

Development of a physical model based on a random walk in a tilted corrugated potential.
Analysis incorporating torque, contact forces, and the absolute angular position of the rotor.

Main Results:

The model successfully accounts for stepping behavior, including differences in forward and backward step sizes.

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Predictions include a sublinear speed-torque relationship at low torque and a peak in rotor diffusion.

The absolute angular position of the rotor is identified as critical for understanding step properties.

Conclusions:

The proposed model offers a comprehensive framework for analyzing bacterial flagellar motor stepping.
It provides testable predictions and broader insights into the design of efficient molecular machines.
Energy storage in protein springs is highlighted as a key mechanism in molecular motor function.