Pseudomonas aeruginosa flagellar motility machinery (P. aeruginosa flagellum)

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa flagellar motility machinery is a complex, multi-protein nanomachine that drives swimming and swarming motility, enabling the bacterium to navigate environments and colonize host tissues. It consists of a basal body anchored in the cell envelope, a hook, and a long extracellular filament composed of flagellin (FliC), powered by two distinct stator complexes, MotAB and MotCD (Lovewell et al., 2014; Gabrilska et al., 2024). Beyond locomotion, the flagellum serves as a critical virulence factor by facilitating initial attachment to surfaces and triggering host innate immune responses through Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) and the NLRC4 inflammasome (Lovewell et al., 2014). In clinical development, this machinery is targeted by anti-virulence strategies, such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines, which aim to neutralize flagellin or inhibit motor function to prevent bacterial dissemination and biofilm formation (Saha et al., 2007). However, therapeutic intervention must account for the fact that P. aeruginosa often loses motility during chronic infections to evade phagocytic clearance and form antibiotic-tolerant aggregates (Gabrilska et al., 2024). Consequently, targeting the flagellar machinery is primarily relevant for acute infections or as a prophylactic measure to prevent the transition to a chronic, sessile state.

Other names

Flagellar apparatusFlagellar motorFlagellar assembly systemPolar flagellumFliCMotAB-MotCD complexFlagellar export apparatus

Inhibition of flagellar assembly, disruption of motor rotation, or neutralization of flagellin to prevent host cell attachment and TLR5-mediated inflammation.