Abstract
Many kind of bacteria swim in aqueous solution by rotating their helical flagellar filaments. Each filament is driven by a rotary motor (flagellar motor) embedded in the cytoplasmic membrane and can rotate very fast. The rotation speed reaches from 100 to more than 1000 r/sec. The possible deformation of such fast rotating flagellar filaments has not yet been observed because of difficulties mainly caused by their extremely small size. We tried to observe the deformation of the flagellar helices of swimming Vibrio alginolyticus cells with laser dark-field microscope. The laser dark-field image was recorded by using an image intensified CCD camera equipped with the electrical shutter. The change in the helical pitch was observed to be rather small, around 10%.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
