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Updated: Jan 13, 2026
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Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions
Published on: January 18, 2017
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Structural insights into the assembly and evolution of a complex bacterial flagellar motor
Xueyin Feng1,2,3,4, Shoichi Tachiyama5,6, Jing He7
1State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Coastal Upwelling Ecosystem, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Nature Microbiology
|January 9, 2026
Summary
Complex bacterial flagellar motors in Campylobacter jejuni feature novel structures like the E ring and cage, stabilizing stator complexes. These findings reveal ancient origins and widespread prevalence of these complex motor components.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Structural Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Bacterial flagellar motors are crucial for motility but complex adaptations remain poorly understood.
- Most knowledge stems from simpler models like Escherichia coli, not diverse complex motors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the complex flagellar motor adaptations in Campylobacter jejuni.
- To elucidate the function, mechanisms, and evolution of auxiliary motor structures.
Main Methods:
- Employed structural, genetic, biochemical, and functional analyses.
- Utilized phylogenetic analyses to trace evolutionary origins.
Main Results:
- Identified an E ring of 17 FlgY homodimers, an FcpMNO/PflD cage, and PflA-PflB spoke-rim interactions.
- These structures stabilize 17 torque-generating stator complexes.
- Phylogenetic analysis indicates ancient origins and widespread presence of E ring and spokes.
Conclusions:
- Complex flagellar motor structures in C. jejuni are ancient and widespread.
- Type IV pilus components were co-opted in the ancestral Campylobacterota motor.
- Provides insights into the assembly, function, and evolution of complex bacterial flagellar motors.
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