What Is Flagella Made of?

Flagella are projections from a cell. Flagella are found in all three domains of life--bacteria, eukaroytes, and archaea, and are crucial elements in cell function.

Composition

• The flagella are composed of microtubules covered by the extended plasma membrane of the cell. The flagella have internal structuring that mirror that of cilia. The main difference between the two is size--the flagella are long and whip-like and the cilia are not.

Purpose

• The purpose of flagella is movement. The flagella either propel the cell with their whip-like movements or the whipping motions move the substances around the cell.

Types

• Bacterial flagella are rod or spiral shaped. Eukaryotic cells have tubular flagella. Archaeal flagella appear to be much like bacterial flagella, however bacterial flagella work each filament singularly and archaeal flagella filaments work together as a unit. Archaeal flagella filaments are also much finer than bacterial ones.