Structural study of the torque-generating unit in the bacterial flagellar motor

细菌的鞭毛是一个旋转马达，由穿过细胞质膜的特定离子的电化学电位提供动力。目前对这种生物马达的工作机理研究甚少，这些信息对生物科学和纳米技术的研究具有重要意义。在弧菌中，一种内膜复合体PomAB将Na+通量转化为鞭毛的旋转。我们利用x射线晶体学和低温电子显微镜对PomAB的结构进行了研究，以阐明该能量转换系统的工作机理。

The bacterial flagellum is a rotary motor powered by the electrochemical potential of specific ions across the cytoplasmic membrane. There is little information about its working mechanism of this biological motor, the information which could be useful for biological science and nano-technology. In Vibrio, an inner membrane complex, PomAB, converts Na+ flux into rotation of the flagellum. We have been studying the structure of PomAB by X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate the working mechanism of this energy conversion system.