Spirochete Flagella and Motility

Spirochetes can be distinguished from other flagellated bacteria by their long, thin, spiral (or wavy) cell bodies and endoflagella that reside within the periplasmic space, designated as periplasmic flagella (PFs). Some members of the spirochetes are pathogenic, including the causative agents of sy...

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Published inBiomolecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 10; no. 4; p. 550
Main Author Nakamura, Shuichi
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 04.04.2020
MDPI
Subjects
Antimicrobial agents
Bacteria
chemotaxis
Dysentery
E coli
Flagella
Flagella - metabolism
Health aspects
Leptospirosis
Lyme disease
molecular motor
Morphology
Motility
Movement
Pathogenicity
Periplasm - metabolism
periplasmic flagella
Periplasmic space
Proteins
Review
Spirochaetales - cytology
Spirochaetales - physiology
Spirochetes
Swine dysentery
Syphilis
Viscoelasticity
United States
motility
spirochetes
periplasmic flagella
molecular motor
chemotaxis
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Summary:Spirochetes can be distinguished from other flagellated bacteria by their long, thin, spiral (or wavy) cell bodies and endoflagella that reside within the periplasmic space, designated as periplasmic flagella (PFs). Some members of the spirochetes are pathogenic, including the causative agents of syphilis, Lyme disease, swine dysentery, and leptospirosis. Furthermore, their unique morphologies have attracted attention of structural biologists; however, the underlying physics of viscoelasticity-dependent spirochetal motility is a longstanding mystery. Elucidating the molecular basis of spirochetal invasion and interaction with hosts, resulting in the appearance of symptoms or the generation of asymptomatic reservoirs, will lead to a deeper understanding of host-pathogen relationships and the development of antimicrobials. Moreover, the mechanism of propulsion in fluids or on surfaces by the rotation of PFs within the narrow periplasmic space could be a designing base for an autonomously driving micro-robot with high efficiency. This review describes diverse morphology and motility observed among the spirochetes and further summarizes the current knowledge on their mechanisms and relations to pathogenicity, mainly from the standpoint of experimental biophysics.
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ISSN:2218-273X
2218-273X
DOI:10.3390/biom10040550