Putative Spanner Function of the <i>Vibrio</i> PomB Plug Region in the Stator Rotation Model for Flagellar Motor
Michio Homma, Hiroyuki Terashima, Hiroaki Koiwa, Seiji Kojima
Abstract
The biological flagellar motor resembles a mechanical motor. It is composed of a stator and a rotor. The force is transmitted to the rotor by the gear-like stator movements. It has been proposed that the pentamer of MotA subunits revolves around the axis of the B subunit dimer in response to ion flow. The plug region of the B subunit regulates the ion flow. Here, we demonstrated that the ion flow was terminated by cross-linking the plug region of PomB with PomA. These findings support the rotation hypothesis and explain the role of the plug region in blocking the rotation of the stator unit.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyRotation (mathematics)VibrioFunction (biology)MicrobiologyStatorGeneticsPhysicsBacteriaComputer scienceArtificial intelligenceQuantum mechanicsMicro and Nano RoboticsATP Synthase and ATPases ResearchGeomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies