A macroscopic scale model of bacterial flagellar bundling

Details A macroscopic scale model of bacterial flagellar bundling A macroscopic scale model of bacterial flagellar bundling

2003-12-21

arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0312562v1

Kim et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100 (2003) 15481--15485

Physics

Condensed Matter

Soft Condensed Matter

6 pages, 4 figures (3 in color). A supporting movie is published at the PNAS website

Scientific paper

10.1073/pnas.2633596100

Escherichia coli and other bacteria use rotating helical filaments to swim. Each cell typically has about four filaments, which bundle or disperse depending on the sense of motor rotation. To study the bundling process, we built a macroscopic scale model consisting of stepper-motor-driven polymer helices in a tank filled with a high-viscosity silicone oil. The Reynolds number, the ratio of viscous to elastic stresses, and the helix geometry of our experimental model approximately match the corresponding quantities of the full scale E. coli cells. We analyze digital video images of the rotating helices to show that the initial rate of bundling is proportional to the motor frequency and is independent of the characteristic relaxation time of the filament. We also determine which combinations of helix handedness and sense of motor rotation lead to bundling.

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