Researchers shed light on the mechanisms of bacterial flagellar motors

Biological motors, which aid microorganism movement in fluids, are composed of two components — the rotor and stators. Despite much research, the exact molecular mechanism underlying stator function is yet unclear. In a new study, researchers analyzed the flagellar motor in Vibrio alginolyticus using cryo-electron microscopy and described how sodium ion flow through stators underlies stator function. Understanding biological motors better could lead to the development of efficient microscopic machines.

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