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. 1995 Apr;68(4 Suppl):163S–167S.

Torque generation by the flagellar rotary motor.

H C Berg 1
PMCID: PMC1281903  PMID: 7787060

Abstract

A review is given of the structure and dynamics of the flagellar rotary motor. Force-generating elements in a motor driving a tethered bacterium (a cell fixed to the substratum by a single flagellum) exert forces of order 20 pN while moving at speeds of order 1 micron/s. Force-generating elements in a motor driving a flagellar filament in a bundle exert forces some 10-fold lower but move at speeds more than 10-fold higher. The motor torque-speed relationship has been measured over a wide dynamic range. Motors strongly resist being driven backwards and are easily broken.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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