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| Title | The structure of the Vibrio alginolyticus flagellar filament suggests molecular mechanism for the rotation of sheathed flagella. |
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| Journal, issue, pages | Nat Commun, Vol. 17, Issue 1, Year 2026 |
| Publish date | Apr 23, 2026 |
 Authors | Kailin Qin / Rosa Einenkel / Weilong Zhao / Caroline Kühne / Joseph Atherton / Marc Erhardt / Julien R C Bergeron /   |
| PubMed Abstract | In several pathogenic bacteria, including Vibrio species, the filament of the bacterial flagellum is encased by a membranous sheath, an extension of the bacterial outer membrane. It has been proposed ...In several pathogenic bacteria, including Vibrio species, the filament of the bacterial flagellum is encased by a membranous sheath, an extension of the bacterial outer membrane. It has been proposed that having sheathed flagella permit bacteria to evade an immune response against flagellar components, suggesting a role in virulence. However, the molecular details of the interaction between sheath and filament, and how it impacts filament rotation, remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we combine single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, cryo-electron tomography, and genetic analyses to resolve the molecular architecture and biogenesis of the sheathed flagellum in Vibrio alginolyticus. We show that the flagellar filament forms a canonical 11-stranded supercoil made of the flagellin FlaD2 and enveloped by a bilayered sheath. We report that the filament surface is highly electronegative, suggesting that electrostatic repulsion between filament and sheath may reduce friction and supports high-speed flagellar rotation. We also show that the filament cap protein FliD possesses a unique domain in sheathed flagella, that may coordinate sheath assembly with filament elongation. Collectively, this structural insight into the structure of the Vibrio alginolyticus flagellum suggests a molecular mechanism for the rotation of sheathed flagella. |
 External links | Nat Commun / PubMed:42026045 / PubMed Central |
| Methods | EM (single particle) / EM (tomography) |
| Resolution | 3.1 - 3.6 Å |
| Structure data | EMDB-53912, PDB-9rcb: EMDB-53917, PDB-9rcd:  EMDB-53992: Polar sheathed flagella tips in Vibrio alginolyticus  EMDB-53993: Polar sheathed flagella with reduced flagellins in Vibrio alginolyticus |
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 Keywords | STRUCTURAL PROTEIN / FlaA / flagellin / filament / Vibrio alginolyticus |
vibrio alginolyticus (bacteria)