The Possible Origin of the Bacterial Flagellum
Rizzotti M.
University of Padova, Department of Biology, Via U. Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padova, Italy
The base of the bacterial flagellum is a rotating "molecular machine" which obtains its energy from an inflow of hydrogen ions. A similar machine, more fundamental and widespread, is bacterial ATP synthase. Thus, the former may have derived from the latter.
For this derivation, intermediate evolutionary steps may be hypothesised, as may also intermediate functions. It is not surprising that no intermediate structure is known in present-day prokaryotes, as intermediate structures usually become extinct during evolution.
Confirmation of this possible origin of the bacterial flagellum may come from sequence and/or conformational homologies. These are more likely to be provided by the essential components of both structures, i.e., stator and rotor.
| LOCATION |
DATE |
TIME |
| Lecture Hall I |
Tuesday, April 7 |
05:40 pm |