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BACTERIAL FLAGELLAR MOTOR

A proposed gear mechanism for torque generation in the flagellar motor

In situ structures of the spirochete flagellar motor by cryo-ET reveal two distinct modes of interactions between the rotor ring and stator units. Together with new cryo-EM structures of the isolated stator units, this work provides insights into the mechanisms of torque generation and directional switch.

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Fig. 1: Flagellar basal body rotation and directional switch.

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Correspondence to Keiichi Namba.

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Namba, K. A proposed gear mechanism for torque generation in the flagellar motor. Nat Struct Mol Biol 27, 1004–1006 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-020-00514-0

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