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

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...
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...
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...
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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Contributions of intra- and extracellular antibiotic degradation to collective [Formula: see text]-lactam survival.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Direct visualization of native GSDMD pores reveals lipid-driven stabilization during pyroptosis.

Science advances·2026
Same author

VPS13C/PARK23 initiates lipid transfer and membrane remodeling for efficient lysosomal repair.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Investigating the role of novel alphatectiviruses in reducing carriage and transfer of antimicrobial resistance plasmids.

International journal of antimicrobial agents·2026
Same author

Fis suppresses late-stage virulence gene expression in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis at environmental temperatures.

PLoS pathogens·2026
Same author

A Modular Toolkit for Nanoscale Interrogation of Multiprotein Assemblies Inside Living Cells.

ACS nano·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

3D Printing Bacteria to Study Motility and Growth in Complex 3D Porous Media
05:46

3D Printing Bacteria to Study Motility and Growth in Complex 3D Porous Media

Published on: January 19, 2024

Multiple pilus motors cooperate for persistent bacterial movement in two dimensions.

Claudia Holz1, Dirk Opitz, Lilo Greune

  • 1Institut für Molekulare Zellbiologie, Schlossplatz 5, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany.

Physical Review Letters
|May 21, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Bacterial surface motility, driven by type IV pili, is not random. More pili on Neisseria gonorrhoeae increase persistent movement, suggesting a tug-of-war mechanism.

More Related Videos

High-throughput Method for Observing Motility Phenotypes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
07:23

High-throughput Method for Observing Motility Phenotypes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Published on: June 20, 2025

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions
06:08

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions

Published on: January 18, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

3D Printing Bacteria to Study Motility and Growth in Complex 3D Porous Media
05:46

3D Printing Bacteria to Study Motility and Growth in Complex 3D Porous Media

Published on: January 19, 2024

High-throughput Method for Observing Motility Phenotypes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
07:23

High-throughput Method for Observing Motility Phenotypes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Published on: June 20, 2025

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions
06:08

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions

Published on: January 18, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial Motility
  • Cellular Biophysics

Background:

  • Surface motility in bacteria is crucial for various processes.
  • Type IV pili are known mediators of bacterial surface movement.
  • The precise mechanism and trajectory patterns of bacterial movement remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the movement patterns of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
  • To determine the relationship between pilus number and bacterial movement persistence.
  • To elucidate the underlying mechanism of bacterial surface motility.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative analysis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae movement.
  • Correlation analysis of persistent movement time with pilus number.
  • Measurement of individual pilus unbinding and stalling forces.

Main Results:

  • The correlation time of persistent movement in Neisseria gonorrhoeae was found to increase with the number of pili.
  • Individual pilus unbinding force (10 pN) was significantly lower than the stalling force (>100 pN).

Conclusions:

  • Bacterial movement, specifically in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, does not follow a simple random walk.
  • A tug-of-war mechanism, influenced by pilus density, force, and adhesion, governs bacterial motility.