Articles tagged with Flagella
Max Planck researchers demonstrate how the green alga Chlamydomonas synchronizes its two flagella using a resourceful rocking movement. The resulting mechanism is based solely on the coupling of the two movements, with no special sensors or chemical signals required.
Washington University engineers are studying how stiff or soft brain tissue is using a non-invasive technique. They're creating a model of brain tissue inside a bowl of Jello, which helps them understand how direction affects wave speed and stiffness.
Researchers at MIT used high-speed video to record individual marine bacteria and found that a small flexible rod called the hook bucks during forward swims, causing the cell to tumble and reorient. This unusual mechanism helps bacteria navigate toward food in nutrient-sparse ocean waters.
Researchers found that E. coli flagella can act as biological grappling hooks, reaching deep into nanoscale crevices and latching the bacteria in place. This ability to stick to any surface at all allows bacteria to survive on medical implants.
Researchers found that an ancient algal structure is used by deadly parasites like malaria and toxoplasmosis to replicate inside hosts. Altering this fiber-like structure can prevent parasite replication, potentially leading to new treatments.
A new study by Brown University researchers found that men with more consistently made sperm have better swimming abilities. The research suggests that variability in sperm length may be a sign of trouble with the production process, potentially affecting fertility.
Researchers from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência describe the steps involved in making a motile flagellum in fruit fly sperm cells. The process involves the formation of a critical protein structure called the central microtubule pair, essential for coordinated movement.
Researchers discovered that Trypanosoma brucei parasites can sense their environment, exchange messages, and coordinate movements when seeded onto a surface. This social behavior opens up new avenues for understanding other supposedly solitary parasites like those responsible for malaria and epidemic diarrhea.
Researchers found that BBS proteins remove excess signaling molecules to prevent damage to cilia, suggesting a new mechanism for the protein complex's function. The study suggests that BBS patients may experience cilia dysfunction due to the buildup of disruptive proteins.
A new study uses a computer program to simulate movement of hair-like cellular projections, revealing how molecular motors generate cyclical motion. The research opens a new door to understanding motor molecules by simulating the sliding motion between doublets, which causes oscillatory bending of flagella.
Scientists have created a new approach to studying bacterial swimming, using optical traps, microfluidic chambers and fluorescence to track Escherichia coli movement. The method allows researchers to trap bacteria and modify their environment without hindering movement, providing insights into the mechanics of bacterial swimming.
Researchers found individual algal cells can regulate flagellar beating in synchrony to control swimming trajectories, exhibiting two distinct modes: synchronous and unsynchronised. This study reveals hydrodynamic interactions as the driving force behind synchronization.
Researchers at Indiana University and Harvard University have discovered a protein called EpsE that acts like a clutch to temporarily stop the rotation of a bacterium's flagellum. The discovery sheds light on how bacteria balance movement and biofilm formation, which can be crucial in combating bacterial infections.
The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii genome provides insights into photosynthesis, flagella function and human diseases such as dyskinesia and polycystic kidney disease. The research has the potential to advance bioenergy and environmental restoration by removing carbon from the atmosphere and toxins from soil.
Joel Rosenbaum's research has made significant advances in understanding the assembly, maintenance and function of cilia and flagella, leading to a deeper understanding of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). His work has also revealed the importance of primary non-motile cilia in signaling pathways.
A recent discovery sheds light on fungi's evolution from water to land, revealing diverse mechanisms of spore dispersal and new tools for medicine and industry. The research provides a deeper understanding of these organisms' roles in nature and their potential applications.
A team of scientists reconstructed the early evolution of fungi, finding that ancestors may have lost flagellae and adapted to life on land in multiple instances. Fungi are believed to be animals' closest relatives and play a crucial role as decomposers in ecosystems.
Researchers found that flagella in algae allow for active nutrient gathering, concentrating nutrients just ahead of the moving colony. This discovery explains how single-celled life forms can evolve into larger multicellular organisms like Volvox, a colony of up to 50,000 cells.
Researchers discover novel gene BBS5, necessary for generating cilia and flagella, which are involved in the development of Bardet-Biedl syndrome. The study confirms that BBS is caused by defects in cilia, a theory first proposed by Dr Philip Beales.
The discovery of protein EB1 at the tip of Chlamydomonas flagella sheds new light on intraflagellar transport (IFT) and its regulation. IFT is crucial for flagellar growth and maintenance, and EB1 may play a key role in controlling the molecular transport system responsible for IFT.
The UMass microbiology team found that Geobacter metallireducens has a built-in sensor to locate metals and can grow flagella to swim towards them. The bacteria use these strategies to survive in natural environments, and their genome revealed genes for flagella growth, allowing them to transform metal into an insoluble form.