identifier: traitmech:000058
label: lophotrichous
definition: A flagellar arrangement with a tuft of multiple flagella at one pole of
  the cell.
definition_source: DOI:10.1093/femsre/fuv034
trait_category: MORPHOLOGY
term_kind: CLASS
mapping_status: REVIEWED
parent_traits:
- traitmech:000056
evidence:
- reference: DOI:10.1093/femsre/fuv034
  notes: Schuhmacher et al. describe polar tufts of flagella (lophotrichous) among
    the regular flagellation patterns bacteria maintain.
- reference: DOI:10.3390/biom9070279
  notes: Flagellum review supports multiple flagellar filaments acting as locomotory
    organelles.
canonical_examples:
- taxon_id: NCBITaxon:210
  taxon_label: Helicobacter pylori
  note: "polar tuft of flagella"
  reference: PMID:30258065
- taxon_id: NCBITaxon:968
  taxon_label: Spirillum volutans
  note: "bipolar flagellar tufts"
  reference: PMID:16561638 (DOI:10.1128/jb.57.1.111-118.1949)
causal_graphs:
- graph_id: lophotrichous_polar_tuft
  title: Lophotrichous flagellation — polar tuft of flagella
  description: Evidence-backed causal sketch linking a polar tuft of bacterial flagella
    to the lophotrichous arrangement.
  nodes:
  - node_id: lophotrichous_trait
    label: lophotrichous
    node_type: TRAIT
    grounding: traitmech:000058
    description: Tuft of multiple flagella at one pole.
  - node_id: bacterial_flagellum
    label: bacterial-type flagellum
    node_type: CELLULAR_LOCALIZATION
    grounding: GO:0009288
    description: Helical proteinaceous locomotory organelle.
  - node_id: polar_tuft_placement
    label: polar tuft placement
    node_type: QUALITY
    description: Multiple flagella clustered at one cell pole.
  - node_id: flhf_protein
    label: FlhF
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: SRP-type GTPase that positions and initiates polar flagellar assembly.
    grounding: UniProtKB:A0A656AC42
  - node_id: cell_pole
    label: cell pole
    node_type: CELLULAR_LOCALIZATION
    description: The cell pole where polar flagellar assembly is nucleated.
    grounding: GO:0060187
  - node_id: flig_protein
    label: FliG
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Flagellar C-ring switch protein recruited during basal-body assembly.
    grounding: UniProtKB:A0A016XEK1
  - node_id: flif_protein
    label: FliF
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: MS-ring protein forming the membrane base of the flagellar basal
      body.
    grounding: UniProtKB:A0A0H2X1L8
  - node_id: fipa_protein
    label: FipA
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Membrane-localized polar landmark/licensing factor required for normal
      polar flagellar synthesis.
    grounding: UniProtKB:A0A023UGD7
  - node_id: flhg_protein
    label: FlhG
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: MinD-type ATPase that regulates flagellar number by stimulating FlhF
      GTPase activity.
    grounding: UniProtKB:Q2N2M1
  - node_id: flagellar_number
    label: flagellar number
    node_type: QUALITY
    description: Number of flagella assembled per cell.
  edges:
  - subject: bacterial_flagellum
    predicate: defines
    object: lophotrichous_trait
    description: A tuft of flagella at one pole defines the lophotrichous arrangement.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1093/femsre/fuv034
      notes: Schuhmacher et al. describe polar tufts of flagella (lophotrichous).
    predicate_id: METPO:2007500
  - subject: lophotrichous_trait
    predicate: associated with
    object: polar_tuft_placement
    description: The lophotrichous pattern places multiple flagella at one pole.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.3390/biom9070279
      notes: Flagellum review supports multiple flagellar filaments acting as locomotory
        organelles.
    predicate_id: biolink:associated_with
  - subject: flhf_protein
    predicate: localizes to and promotes assembly at
    object: cell_pole
    description: GTP-bound FlhF localizes to the cell pole and recruits initial flagellar
      building blocks.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.7554/eLife.93004.3
      notes: GTP-bound dimeric FlhF localizes to the cell pole and recruits initial
        flagellar building blocks; deletion of flhF causes absence/mislocalization
        of flagella.
  - subject: flhf_protein
    predicate: recruits
    object: flig_protein
    description: FlhF binds the C-ring protein FliG to initiate polar assembly.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-50274-4
      notes: FlhF binds the C-ring protein FliG via its N-terminus.
  - subject: flig_protein
    predicate: captures
    object: flif_protein
    description: The FlhF:FliG complex recruits/captures FliF to promote MS-ring formation
      at the pole.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.7554/eLife.93004.3
      notes: FliG captures FliF to promote MS-ring formation; recruits a functional
        FliF/FliG complex to the pole.
  - subject: fipa_protein
    predicate: required for
    object: lophotrichous_trait
    description: FipA is required for normal FlhF activity and polar flagellar synthesis.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.7554/eLife.93004.3
      notes: FipA is required for normal FlhF activity and polar flagellar synthesis;
        deletion abolishes swimming motility and yields cells lacking surface flagella.
  - subject: flhg_protein
    predicate: negatively regulates
    object: flagellar_number
    description: FlhG limits flagellar number; its loss causes hyper-flagellation.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1093/femsre/fuv034
      notes: Loss of FlhG causes hyper-flagellation; deletion of flhG produces hyper-flagellated
        strains.
  - subject: flhg_protein
    predicate: stimulates GTPase activity of
    object: flhf_protein
    description: FlhG stimulates the GTPase activity of FlhF, converting GTP-bound
      to GDP-bound FlhF.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-50274-4
      notes: FlhG stimulates the GTPase activity of the SRP-type GTPase FlhF, converting
        GTP-bound FlhF to GDP-bound FlhF.
curation_history:
- timestamp: '2026-06-03T00:00:00Z'
  curator: claude
  action: PROPOSED_FROM_RESEARCH
  changes: Proposed candidate MORPHOLOGY trait (lophotrichous flagellation); sub-variant
    of flagellar arrangement.
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-09T15:00:00Z'
  curator: claude
  action: CURATED_CAUSAL_GRAPH
  changes: Added evidence-backed causal graph (polar tuft) with GO node grounding
    and METPO/biolink predicate groundings; promoted PROPOSED to REVIEWED.
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-23T00:00:00Z'
  curator: claude
  action: ENRICH_CAUSAL_GRAPH
  changes: Added 6 evidence-backed generic edges (7 new nodes) from the deep-research
    report.
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-24T17:23:33Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_NODES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-node grounding field(s) via mappings/node_grounding.tsv
    (GO:0060187×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-26T07:15:19Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_NODES
  changes: Grounded 5 causal-node grounding field(s) via mappings/node_grounding.tsv
    (UniProtKB:A0A656AC42×1, UniProtKB:A0A016XEK1×1, UniProtKB:A0A0H2X1L8×1, UniProtKB:A0A023UGD7×1,
    UniProtKB:Q2N2M1×1).
  llm_assisted: true