The architecture, assembly, and evolution of a complex flagellar motor

Summary Bacterial flagella drive motility in many species, likely including the last bacterial common ancestor 1,2 . Knowledge of flagellar assembly and function has mainly come from studies of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica , which have simple flagellar motors 3–7 . However, most flagellated bacteria possess complex motors with unique, species-specific adaptations whose mechanisms and evolution remain largely unexplored 8–10 . Here, we deploy a multidisciplinary approach to build a near-complete model of the flagellar motor in Campylobacter jejuni , revealing its remarkable complexity in architecture and composition. We identify an E-ring around the MS-ring, a periplasmic cage with two distinctive conformations, and an intricate interaction network between the E-ring and cage. These scaffolds play critical roles in stabilizing and regulating 17 torque-generating stator complexes for optimal motility. In-depth evolutionary analyses uncover the ancient origin and prevalence of the E-ring in flagellated species of the domain Bacteria as well as a unique exaptation of type IV pili components PilMNOPQF in the ancestral motor of the phylum Campylobacterota . Collectively, our studies reveal novel mechanisms of assembly and function in complex flagellar motors and shed light on the evolution of flagella and modern bacterial species.