identifier: METPO:1000701
label: motility
definition: A phenotype in which an organism has the capability to move independently
  through its environment, typically by means of flagella, pili, gliding mechanisms,
  or other locomotory structures.
definition_source: DOI:10.1038/s41579-021-00626-4
trait_category: MORPHOLOGY
term_kind: CLASS
mapping_status: REVIEWED
parent_traits:
- METPO:1000059
synonyms:
- synonym_text: Morphology.cell morphology.motility
  synonym_type: RELATED_SYNONYM
  source: metpo.owl
created_by: Jed Dongjin Kim-Ozaeta
evidence:
- reference: DOI:10.1038/s41579-021-00626-4
  snippet: mechanisms that allow bacteria to move around
  notes: Supports bacterial motility as a phenotype mediated by multiple molecular
    machines and physical mechanisms.
causal_graphs:
- graph_id: motility_locomotion_machinery
  title: Bacterial motility machinery
  description: Evidence-backed causal sketch linking motility to flagella, type IV
    pili, gliding systems, chemotaxis, and energy transduction.
  nodes:
  - node_id: motility_trait
    label: motility
    node_type: TRAIT
    grounding: METPO:1000701
    description: Independent movement through the environment.
  - node_id: flagellar_motor
    label: flagellar motor
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Rotary motor that powers flagellar swimming or swarming.
  - node_id: type_iv_pilus
    label: type IV pilus
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Dynamic pilus that powers twitching and related surface motility.
    grounding: UniProtKB:R6TBR9
  - node_id: gliding_motility_machinery
    label: gliding motility machinery
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Cell-envelope motors and adhesins that move bacteria over surfaces
      without flagella.
  - node_id: ion_motive_force
    label: ion motive force
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Electrochemical ion gradient used to power motility motors.
  - node_id: chemotaxis_signaling
    label: chemotaxis signaling
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Signal transduction that changes motility direction in response to
      environmental cues.
    grounding: GO:0006935
  - node_id: twitching_motility
    label: twitching motility
    node_type: TRAIT
    description: Form of bacterial surface translocation powered by type IV pili.
  - node_id: pilb_extension_atpase
    label: PilB extension ATPase
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Homohexameric ATPase that drives type IV pilus extension.
  - node_id: pilt_retraction_atpase
    label: PilT retraction ATPase
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Antagonistic ATPase that drives type IV pilus retraction.
  - node_id: t4p_retraction
    label: type IV pilus retraction
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Retraction of type IV pili that generates pulling forces.
  - node_id: c_di_gmp
    label: cyclic di-GMP
    node_type: CHEMICAL
    description: Second messenger that inversely regulates motility and biofilm formation.
    grounding: CHEBI:49537
  - node_id: archaellum
    label: archaellum
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: Archaeal rotary propulsion filament, the analogue of the bacterial
      flagellum.
  edges:
  - subject: flagellar_motor
    predicate: enables
    object: motility_trait
    description: Rotary flagellar motors enable bacterial swimming and related motility
      modes.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41579-021-00626-4
      snippet: allow bacteria to move around
      notes: Review summarizes flagellar machinery as a major bacterial motility mechanism.
    predicate_id: RO:0002327
  - subject: type_iv_pilus
    predicate: enables
    object: motility_trait
    description: Type IV pili enable twitching motility through extension, adhesion,
      and retraction.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41579-019-0195-4
      snippet: Cycles of pilus extension, binding and retraction
      notes: Supports type IV pili as motility appendages.
    predicate_id: RO:0002327
  - subject: gliding_motility_machinery
    predicate: enables
    object: motility_trait
    description: Gliding machinery allows surface movement without external flagella.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1146/annurev.micro.55.1.49
      snippet: move actively over surfaces
      notes: Supports gliding as an active bacterial movement mechanism.
    predicate_id: RO:0002327
  - subject: ion_motive_force
    predicate: enables
    object: flagellar_motor
    description: Ion motive force powers rotation of many bacterial flagellar motors.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2021.659464
      snippet: relationship between the IMF and the functioning
      notes: Supports ion motive force powering the bacterial flagellar motor.
    predicate_id: RO:0002327
  - subject: chemotaxis_signaling
    predicate: regulates
    object: motility_trait
    description: Chemotaxis signaling regulates the direction and pattern of bacterial
      movement.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.3390/biom9070279
      snippet: chemotactic signaling pathways regulate the direction
      notes: Supports chemotaxis control of flagella-driven motility.
    predicate_id: RO:0002211
  - subject: type_iv_pilus
    predicate: drives
    object: twitching_motility
    description: Type IV pili power twitching, a form of bacterial surface translocation.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1128/msphere.00390-24
      notes: Twitching motility is a form of bacterial surface translocation powered
        by the type IV pilus (T4P).
  - subject: pilb_extension_atpase
    predicate: drives extension of
    object: type_iv_pilus
    description: PilB ATPase drives extension of the type IV pilus.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1128/jb.00359-24
      notes: PilB is the homohexameric extension ATPase of the type IV pilus.
  - subject: pilt_retraction_atpase
    predicate: drives retraction of
    object: type_iv_pilus
    description: PilT ATPase drives retraction of the type IV pilus.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1128/jb.00359-24
      notes: Retraction is carried out by the antagonistic ATPase PilT.
  - subject: t4p_retraction
    predicate: generates
    object: twitching_motility
    description: Type IV pilus retraction generates the pulling forces underlying
      twitching motility.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1128/jb.00442-23
      notes: T4P retraction generates the pulling forces underlying twitching motility.
    predicate_id: biolink:produces
  - subject: c_di_gmp
    predicate: inhibits
    object: motility_trait
    description: Cyclic di-GMP inhibits motility; lowering c-di-GMP relieves this
      inhibition.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s42003-024-07392-y
      notes: Lower c-di-GMP relieves its inhibition on motility (generic c-di-GMP
        -> motility edge).
    predicate_id: RO:0002212
  - subject: archaellum
    predicate: enables
    object: motility_trait
    description: The archaellum enables swimming motility in archaea, analogous to
      the bacterial flagellum.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-50277-1
      notes: The archaellum enables cell motility in archaea.
    predicate_id: RO:0002327
curation_history:
- timestamp: '2026-05-05T01:35:46.904440+00:00'
  curator: seed_from_metpo
  action: SEEDED_FROM_METPO
  changes: imported from data/raw/metpo.owl (CLASS)
  llm_assisted: false
- timestamp: '2026-05-11T00:00:00-07:00'
  curator: codex
  action: CURATED_WITH_LITERATURE
  changes: Reviewed motility trait and added DOI-backed causal graph for flagellar,
    pili-mediated, gliding, chemotaxis, and ion-motive-force mechanisms.
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-20T03:35:31Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 4 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (RO:0002327×3, RO:0002211×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-24T05:05:15Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_NODES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-node grounding field(s) via mappings/node_grounding.tsv
    (UniProtKB:R6TBR9×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-26T05:00:48Z'
  curator: claude
  action: RENAME_PREDICATE_LABELS
  changes: 'Renamed 1 causal-edge predicate label(s) to align with existing groundings:
    powers → enables ×1.'
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-05-26T05:00:50Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (RO:0002327×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-16T06:54:40Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_NODES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-node grounding field(s) via mappings/node_grounding.tsv
    (GO:0006935×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-17T04:09:44Z'
  curator: claude
  action: REMOVE_REDUNDANT_SYNONYM
  changes: Removed 1 synonym(s) whose text duplicated the label (seeder redundancy;
    no information lost).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-23T00:00:00Z'
  curator: claude
  action: ENRICH_CAUSAL_GRAPH
  changes: Added 6 evidence-backed generic edges (6 new nodes) from the deep-research
    report.
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-24T17:21:13Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 3 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (biolink:produces×1, RO:0002212×1, RO:0002327×1).
  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
    (CHEBI:49537×1).
  llm_assisted: true