Bacteria’s Swiftly Rotating Flagella

Function

Bacteria propel themselves by rotating their long flagella. The flagella’s structure comprises a rotor, stator, inversion controller, bearing, universal joint, and screw. These parts have the ability to self-organize. The flagella are made of fibers that are stretched into a helical shape through polymerization of a 24nm-thick helical protein called “flagellin.” The fibers themselves do not have a rotation mechanism, but instead use the flow of hydrogen ions that results from the difference in ion concentration from the inside to the outside of the cell for power, which rotates the fibers like a water mill.

Functional Classification

Transfer/Dispose/Circulate:
Movement

Environmental Solution Classification

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Technical Application

Products and Services

Type of Business

Proposals of Applied Technology

Protein’s ability to self-organize μ-scale structures can be applied to MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) development. Protein’s selectivity and specificity in only interacting with the correct counterpart can be applied to the development of new technologies in the medical field.

Proposals of Applied Industry

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