The bacterial flagellum : assembly, function… and beyond

Résumé :

The bacterial flagellum is a complex nanomachine built through tightly coordinated processes at both the genetic and protein levels. Flagellar biogenesis begins in the inner membrane, where a flagellum-specific chaperone facilitates the assembly of the core export apparatus. Once active, the flagellar type-III secretion system (fT3SS) secretes structural components at a remarkable speed, elongating the flagellar filament several micrometers beyond the cell surface. I will discuss the molecular features of the fT3SS, how these impact important cellular functions such as membrane integrity, bacterial fitness or acquisition of motility, and how we can leverage them to engineer biotechnological and biomedical applications.

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Contact : eric.faudry@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr