Gliding bacteria all secrete copious slime, but the mechanism which propels the cells is not known. The following digital video shows motile Rhodospirillum rubrum cells. Supplied on PAL format miniDV tape plus accompanying notes. If you are interested in obtaining this video or in specific video commissions, please contact us . In some bacteria, there is only a single flagellum - such cells are called monotrichous.
Some bacteria have a single flagellum at both ends - amphitrichous.
Flagella consist of a hollow, rigid cylinder composed of a protein called flagellin, which forms a filament anchored to the cell by a curved structure called the hook, which is attached to the basal body. Flagellae are, in effect, rotary motors comprising a number of proteinaceous rings embedded in the cell wall. These molecular motors are powered by the phosporylation cascade responsible for generating energy within the cell. In action, the filament rotates at speeds from 200 to more than 1,000 revolutions per second, driving the rotation of the flagellum. The organization of these structures is quite different from that of eukaryotic flagella.