Question

Do bacterial flagella push or pull a cell?

Answer 1

Flagella:

1. They are microscopic hair-like structures involved in the locomotion of a cell.
2. They have a whip-like appearance which helps the cell to maneuver through the liquid.
3. They are present in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic cells.

Important functions of flagella:

1. Locomotion (in Vibrio cholerae).
2. They also act as sensory organs for detecting environmental changes like temperature, pH, etc.
3. In some eukaryotic cells, it is used for increasing reproduction rates.

Bacterial flagella:

1. It is a helical structure composed of a protein called flagellin.
2. It generally has three main parts, namely, basal, body, hook, and filament.
3. The part that remains attached to the cell and cytoplasmic membrane is called the basal body.
4. At the base of the filament is a broader area known as the hook.
5. Whereas the filament is a hair-like structure that arises from the hook.
6. Mode of action- the bacterial flagella can push, pull or coil around the body to enable screw-like locomotion.