Abstract
Bacterial motility and chmotaxis peported recently were reviewed. The bacterial flagellum consists of the three morphological components; a basal membrane, a proximal hook and a helical filament. Amino acid sequence of flagellin, the subunit protein of the helical filament, was determined. Amino acid composition of the hook protein is now in progress. Biochemical nature of the basal membrane, a flagellar motor, is not clear. A hydrodinamic model of the propulsion of the flagellated bacteria was studied. Furthermore, it has been found that the propulsive force of flagellated bacteria is generated not by the propagation of helical waves but by the filament rotation. Energy source of motility and chemotaxis were found to be intermediates of oxidative phosphorylation and ATP, respectively. The probrems of the flagellar motility were discussed genetically, biochemically and optical microscopically.
