Dictionary > Archaellum

Archaellum

Definition
noun, plural: archaella
A whip-like structure of filaments that extends outside the cell of many archaea
Supplement
Archaellum is a term used to refer to the whip-like structure on the cell surface of certain archaea and is similar to the flagellum in bacteria. It is previously thought of as homologous to bacterial flagellum based on gross morphology and behavior. Both the archaellum and the bacterial flagellum are made up of filaments that protrude on the cell surface. Both of them are involved in propelling the organism through rotation.1
Bacterial flagella and archaella differ in many aspects. For one, the bacterial flagellar filaments rotate independent of one another whereas the archaeal flagellar filaments rotate as a single assembly. Another distinction is that the bacterial flagella grow by flagellin subunits added from the inside of the hollow filament up to the tip whereas the archaeal flagella grow with the addition of flagellin at the base. It is because the flagellin subunits cannot move up since the archaellar filament is too thin to allow it.2
Also called:

  • archaeal flagellum

See also:

  • flagellum
  • filament
  • archaea
  • Reference(s):

    1 Cavalier-Smith, T. (1987). “The origin of eukaryotic and archaebacterial cells”. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 503 (1): 17–54.

    2 Ghosh, A. & Albers, S. V. (January 2011). “Assembly and function of the archaeal flagellum”. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 39 (1): 64–9.


    You will also like...

    Neural Control Mechanisms
    Neural Control Mechanisms

    Neurons generate electric signals that they pass along to the other neurons or target tissues. In this tutorial, you wil..

    squirrel
    Animal Water Regulation

    Animals adapt to their environment in aspects of anatomy, physiology, and behavior. This tutorial will help you understa..

    Hormone Production
    Hormone Production

    Hormones are chemical messengers produced by specialized glands and they were produced by switching on the genes designe..

    Plant meristem
    Plant Meristems and Growth

    In plants, growth occurs in meristems, which are the site of repeated cell division of unspecialized cells. These cells ..

    Hominid
    The Hominids

    The hominid family diversified from the apes around 6 to 8 million years ago. Since then, the evolutionary path has prov..

    "Cronopio dentiacutus", a prehistoric mammal (an illustration)
    Mammalian Ancestors

    Mammals are a diverse group of organisms, where most of them develop their offspring within the uterus of the mother. Ov..

    Related Articles...

    No related articles found

    See all Related Topics