Abstract
The flagella of the domain Archaea are unique motility structures that are distinct from those of bacteria. Instead, they bear a number of similarities in structure, composition, and assembly to another distinct surface structure in bacteria, namely, type IV pili. Unique features of archaeal flagella not found in bacterial flagella include subunits (flagellins) that are made with signal peptides that are removed by specialized signal peptidases. In addition, archaeal flagellins are most often glycoproteins modified with N-linked glycans, a situation never observed for bacterial flagellins. Archaeal flagella are not hollow appendages like bacterial flagella, a finding which bears strongly on their assembly mechanism, which must be different from that determined for bacterial flagella.
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