Swimming Mechanism of Helical Shaped Bacteria Possessing Intracellular Flagella

Abstract

Motility greatly benefits bacteria, e.g., nutrition, infection, and dissemination. Many bacterial species swim by rotating flagella outside the cell body. Although spirochetes are also flagellated bacteria, their flagella reside beneath the outer membrane. A distinct manner of spirochete motility attributed to the unique cell structure have intrigued many researchers, but detailed mechanism of how the intracellular flagella rotate the helical cell body and thereby generate thrust remains unknown. In this review, we outline the cell structure and motility of the spirochete Leptospira with a discussion of our recent results.