The flagellum of a eukaryotic cell differs from that of a bacterium in that it
- A. is made of the protein flagellin
- B. rotates like a propeller at its base
- C. is shorter and never used for movement
- D. has a 9 plus 2 arrangement of microtubules enclosed by the plasma membrane
Explanation
A eukaryotic flagellum, as in a sperm, is an extension of the cell containing nine outer pairs of microtubules around a central pair, and it beats by the sliding of these microtubules using ATP. A bacterial flagellum is a much simpler solid filament of flagellin outside the cell that rotates like a screw. The two structures are not homologous despite sharing a name.