M. A. Motaleb studied the mechanical roles of internal flagella in Borrelia burgdorferi. In a 2000 experiment, disrupting the gene for the major flagellar filament component eliminated motility and changed the normally wave-shaped bacteria into rod-shaped cells.[ref]
Borrelia burgdorferi periplasmic flagella have both skeletal and motility functions by M. A. Motaleb and others. Abstract and flaB disruption results
The shape change supplied evidence that the periplasmic flagella contribute to cellular architecture as well as propulsion. A structure can consequently function both as a motor-driven assembly and as a mechanical constraint on the surrounding cell. This interpretation combines observations of movement and form, rather than treating loss of motility as the only relevant mutant phenotype.
Portrait of M. A. Motaleb
. Doug Boyd / East Carolina University. The institutional caption identifies the researcher studying Borrelia motility. Source. Articles by others on the same topic
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