Effects of flagellin on innate and adaptive immunity (original) (raw)

Bacterial flagella, complex organelles composed of a basal body, hook, motor, and filament, play a major role in motility and chemotaxis (1,2). Flagellin is the major protein of the flagellar filament. Analysis of the flagellin amino acid sequences from Grampositive and -negative bacteria revealed the presence of highly conserved sequences at the amino and carboxyl termini (3,4). Conservation of the terminal sequences of flagellin may be maintained due to the critical role of these regions in the structure and function of flagella. In contrast, the region between the