What are Flagella?

December 14, 2022 Off By Zak Morris

Flagella are found in many different types of organisms, including bacteria, protists, and some types of algae. Unlike cilia, which are involved in a wide range of functions, flagella are primarily involved in propulsion. They allow cells to move through their environment by beating in coordinated, rhythmic patterns.

Flagella are also composed of microtubules, but they are arranged in a different pattern than cilia. Instead of the “9+2” pattern seen in cilia, flagella have a “9+2+1” pattern, with an additional central pair of microtubules. This allows flagella to move with greater force and speed than cilia.

Like cilia, defects in flagella can lead to a range of health problems. In particular, defects in bacterial flagella can lead to impaired motility and reduced virulence, making bacteria more susceptible to the immune system and antibiotics. Understanding the function and regulation of flagella is therefore important for improving human health.

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CategoryBiology Science

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I am Zak Morris, a 16-year-old entrepreneur from the UK. I started my website, Tutorial Agency, on the 14th of January, 2017. Tutorial Agency is a website where students and adults alike can find online tutorials for a variety of subjects. I came up with the idea for the website after struggling to find useful online tutorials myself. I wanted to create a platform where people could easily find and listen, read and watch tutorials.