Evolution: Archaea motor analyzed (Evolution)

by David Turell , Monday, February 07, 2022, 18:46 (1018 days ago) @ David Turell

Has two parts:

https://phys.org/news/2022-02-biologists-smallest-propeller-earth.html

"Some archaea propel themselves to incredible speeds by rotating a spiral-shaped filament called an archaellum.

"Using a powerful cryo-electron microscope, the new study examined this closer than ever before.

***

"'M. villosus swims at a speed of about 500 body lengths per second," said Dr. Lavinia Gambelli, of Exeter's Living Systems Institute (LSI).

"'Considering that the tiny cell is only about one micrometer in size, this means half a millimeter in one second.

***

"The study discovered that the filament used by M. villosus is made up of thousands of copies of two alternating proteins, whereas previously investigated filaments showed only one protein.

"This suggests that the architecture and assembly of an archaellum is more complex than previously thought.

"The researchers also identified two major structural elements that enable the archaellum filament to move, propelling the cell at high speed."

Comment: the archaellum has an internal rotor just like bacteria. Not surprising as the ancestor for bacteria. Irreducibly complex system must have been designed