Can a cell live without flagella?

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asked Mar 3 in Science by MarvelD (2,400 points)
Can a cell live without flagella?

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answered Mar 22 by AngieSmit (24,390 points)
A cell can sometimes live without flagella as flagella is not a necessary feature for some unicellular organisms like amoeba.

However sperm cells do require flagella.

The absence of a flagellum leads to altered colony morphology, biofilm development and virulence in Vibrio cholerae O139.

Eukaryotic cells do sometimes have flagella although flagella are rare among eukaryotes and prokaryotic cells do have flagella.

Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-bound organelles (such as the nucleus and mitochondria), while prokaryotic cells do not.

DNA in eukaryotic cells is found inside the nucleus, while DNA in prokaryotic cells is located in the cytoplasm.

Eukaryotic cells have both cilia and flagella which are motile organelles that are built on a scaffold of doublet microtubules and are powered by dynein ATPase motors.

The function of the flagellum in a eukaryotic cell is to serve motility, transport and sensory functions.

The function of the flagellum is to enable movement and chemotaxis.

Bacteria can also have one flagellum or even several and they can also be either polar meaning one or several flagella at one spot or peritrichous meaning several flagella all over the bacterium.

Flagellums are a hairlike appendage which protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, from fungal spores, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility.

Many protists with flagella are known as flagellates.

A microorganism may have from one to many flagella.

Flagella are the organelles for bacterial locomotion.

These supramolecular structures extend from the cytoplasm to the cell exterior and are composed of three major structural elements, the basal body, the hook and the filament.

The cell type in animals that has a flagellum is the sperm cell, which is the male sex cell.

A flagellum is a hair-like appendage that extends from a cell and is used to move that cell through its environment.

Flagellum is a lash-like appendage that protrudes from the cell body of certain bacteria.

Some DNA bacterial viruses use flagella to attach to the host cell.

This contact with the flagellum facilitates concentration of phage particles around the receptor on the bacterial cell surface.

Flagella propel the cell by spinning around their axis in a corkscrew motion.

They move in response to a chemical concentration gradient, indicating a sensory feedback regulation system.

This is the basis for bacterial chemotaxis.

The only flagellated cell in humans is the sperm cell that must propel itself towards female egg cells.

In humans and other mammals, several widespread diseases are caused by flagellates.

Perhaps the most widespread is giardiasis caused by the intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia, with symptoms such as diarrhea (water and nutrient loss) and painful abdominal cramps.

A polar bundle of flagella can drive bacterial swimming by pushing, pulling, or coiling around the cell body.

Sperms have flagellum for their locomotion.

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