Differences between Flagella and Pili
Differences between Flagella and Pili
Flagella are long thin appendages free at one end and attached to the cell at the other end. Flagella actually extend from the interior of the cell body. They are mostly composed of flagellin protein.
Pili are short, thick straight hair like surface appendages. They are found in gram negative bacteria. They are mostly composed of pilin protein.
Some of the differences between flagella and pili are as follows:
| S.N. | Characteristics | Flagella | Pili |
| 1 | Definition | Flagella are long, whip like, helical appendages that protrude through the cell membrane. | Pili are hallow, non-helical, filamentous appendages that protrude from the surface of cell. |
| 2 | Structure | Helical but not straight. | Straight non helical. |
| 3 | Length | Long whip like. | Short and hair like. |
| 4 | Thickness | Comparatively thicker than pili (15-20nm in diameter). | Thinner than flagella (3-10nm in diameter). |
| 5 | Number | Lesser than pili. | Numerous. |
| 6 | Occurrence | May be polar or lateral or peritrichous. | Throughout the surface of cell. |
| 8 | Found in | Both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. | Gram negative bacteria. |
| 9 | Made up of | Flagellin protein | Pilin protein |
| 10 | Attached to cell wall | No | Yes |
| 11 | Origin | Cytoplasmic membrane | Cell wall |
| 12 | Organ of adhesion | Absent | present |
| 13 | Required for conjugation | No | Yes |
| 14 | Types | 3 types: Bacterial, Eukaryotic and Archaeal. | 2 types: Conjugative and Type IV. |
| 15 | Function | Responsible for motility but can also be used to sense certain temperature and chemicals or metals. | Responsible for attachment, transfer of DNA to other cell during bacterial conjugation i.e. genetic exchange. Also perform motility. |
| 16 | Motion | Wave like, undulating, sinusoidal. Rotation much like a propeller of a boat motor. | Twitching motility, performs by type IV pili. |
| 17 | Examples | Salmonella | Pseudomonas |
Differences between Flagella and Pili
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very useful for students
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Hello.I have a question,l want to know different of sexual pili and flagella in microscope.thank you
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