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. 1984 Mar;157(3):727–732. doi: 10.1128/jb.157.3.727-732.1984

Evidence that subcellular flagellin pools in Caulobacter crescentus are precursors in flagellum assembly.

E D Huguenel, A Newton
PMCID: PMC215318  PMID: 6698938

Abstract

To study the assembly of the Caulobacter crescentus flagellar filament, we have devised a fractionation protocol that separates the cellular flagellin into three compartments: soluble, membrane, and assembled. Radioactive labeling in pulse-chase and pulse-labeling experiments has demonstrated for the first time that both soluble and membrane-associated flagellin pools are precursors in the assembly of the flagellar filament. The results of these experiments also indicate that flagellar filament assembly occurs via the translocation of newly synthesized flagellins from the soluble pool to the membrane pool to the assembled flagellar filaments. It is not possible to conclude whether the soluble flagellin fraction is synthesized cytoplasmically or as a loosely associated membrane intermediate which is released during lysis. It is clear, however, that the soluble and membrane flagellins are in physically and functionally distinct pools. The implications of these findings for the study of protein secretion from cells and the invariant targeting of flagellar proteins to the stalk-distal pole of the dividing cell during flagellum morphogenesis are discussed.

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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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