Related Terms:

Scope Note:

whiplike motility appendage present on cell surfaces; eukaryote flagella arise from basal bodies, and are composed of nine pairs of microtubules arrayed around a central pair; flagella are common to all mastigophoran protozoa and occur in such specialized cells as spermatozoa; bacterial flagella are thinner and simpler, composed of strands of flagellin; flagella have the same basic structure as cilia but are longer in proportion to the cell bearing them and present in much smaller numbers.

Term Number:

0595-6140