An Electron Microscope Study of Vibrio Flagella

SUMMARY: Electron microscopic study of vibrio flagella by using the negative staining technique revealed differences in chemical reactivity as between the sheath and core components. The sheath was easily degraded by autolysis and exposure to acid and urea, whereas the core was relatively resistant. These differences suggest that the sheath and core are of different composition and that, whereas the core consists of the protein ‘flagellin’, the sheath is probably of cell-wall origin.