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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

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The archaellum: a rotating type IV pilus.

Rajesh Shahapure1, Rosalie P C Driessen, M Florencia Haurat

  • 1Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Cell Observatory, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Molecular Microbiology
|December 17, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Archaea motility was poorly understood, but this study reveals that their archaella (archaeal flagella) rotate to drive swimming. Temperature directly impacts this archaellum rotation and swimming speed.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Archaea biology
  • Cellular motility

Background:

  • Microbial motility is crucial for adaptation, well-studied in bacteria but poorly understood in archaea.
  • Archaella, archaeal flagella, are structurally similar to bacterial type IV pili, suggesting surface motility mechanisms.
  • This study focuses on the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the motility mechanisms of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius cells solely producing archaella.
  • To elucidate the function and behavior of archaella in archaeal swimming.
  • To determine the influence of environmental factors, specifically temperature, on archaeal motility.

Main Methods:

  • Microscopic observation of individual Sulfolobus acidocaldarius cells.
  • Analysis of archaellum structure and comparison with bacterial type IV pili and flagella.
  • Investigation of archaellum rotation and its correlation with cell swimming velocity.
  • Assessment of temperature effects on archaellum rotation and swimming speed.

Main Results:

  • Sulfolobus acidocaldarius cells utilize archaella for motility.
  • Contrary to expectations based on structural similarity to type IV pili, archaella were found to rotate.
  • Archaellum rotation was identified as the driving force for swimming motility in these archaea.
  • Cellular swimming velocity showed a direct dependence on temperature, linked to archaellum rotation speed.

Conclusions:

  • Archaella exhibit a novel rotating mechanism for swimming motility, distinct from bacterial flagellar rotation and type IV pilus extension-retraction.
  • The study reveals a unique mode of archaeal locomotion driven by archaellum rotation.
  • Temperature directly influences archaellum rotation velocity, explaining temperature-dependent swimming in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.