Understanding the molecular mechanism of force generation in the bacterial flagellar motor

这项拟议的研究将推进有关细菌鞭毛发动机如何工作的知识，使科学家能够更多地了解自然的纳米级发动机蓝图。它将解决细菌细胞如何将电化学能转化为机械旋转能的根本问题。目前，最小的人造电机仍然是微米级的，而不是纳米级的。因此，纳米技术将从这项工作中受益，因为他们的设计是基于细菌马达机制背后的原理。这项研究也对兽医科学感兴趣，因为鞭毛运动是常见动物病原体的关键毒力因素，例如与李斯特菌病和胃肠炎有关。

The proposed research will advance the knowledge about how the bacterial flagellar motor works, enabling scientists to learn more about nature's blueprint of a nanoscale engine. It will address the fundamental question of how bacterial cells convert electrochemical energy into mechanical energy of rotation. At present, the smallest artificial electric motor is still on a micro-, rather than nanoscale. Nanotechnology would therefore benefit from this work by basing their designs on the principles behind the mechanism of the bacterial motor. This research is also of interest for veterinary science, as motility by flagellar motor is a key virulence factor of common animal pathogens associated with, for example, listeriosis and gastroenteritis.