identifier: traitmech:000060
label: peritrichous
definition: A flagellar arrangement with flagella distributed over the entire cell
  surface rather than localized to the poles.
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 peritrichous (surface-distributed) flagellation
    as one of the conserved flagellation patterns.
- reference: DOI:10.3390/biom9070279
  notes: Flagellum review supports multiple surface flagellar filaments as locomotory
    organelles, as in peritrichously flagellated enterobacteria.
canonical_examples:
- taxon_id: NCBITaxon:28901
  taxon_label: Salmonella enterica
  note: "Peritrichous flagellation (flagella over the whole cell surface); classic enteric motility/chemotaxis model."
  reference: PMID:33859630
causal_graphs:
- graph_id: peritrichous_surface_distributed_flagella
  title: Peritrichous flagellation — surface-distributed flagella
  description: Evidence-backed causal sketch linking surface-distributed bacterial
    flagella to the peritrichous arrangement.
  nodes:
  - node_id: peritrichous_trait
    label: peritrichous
    node_type: TRAIT
    grounding: traitmech:000060
    description: Flagella distributed over the cell surface.
  - node_id: bacterial_flagellum
    label: bacterial-type flagellum
    node_type: CELLULAR_LOCALIZATION
    grounding: GO:0009288
    description: Helical proteinaceous locomotory organelle.
  - node_id: surface_placement
    label: surface-distributed placement
    node_type: QUALITY
    description: Flagella spaced over the cell surface rather than at the poles.
  - node_id: polar_placement
    label: polar flagellar arrangement
    node_type: QUALITY
    description: Flagella localized at one or both cell poles.
  - node_id: flhg_regulator
    label: FlhG
    node_type: GENE_OR_PROTEIN
    description: MinD-type ATPase that modulates FlhF and regulates flagellar assembly
      progression.
    grounding: UniProtKB:Q2N2M1
  - node_id: flagellar_assembly_progression
    label: progression of flagellar assembly
    node_type: BIOLOGICAL_PROCESS
    description: Ordered progression of flagellar biogenesis from C-ring through filament.
  - node_id: flagellar_filament_number
    label: flagellar filament number
    node_type: QUALITY
    description: Number of flagellar filaments per cell, multiple in peritrichous
      cells.
  - node_id: swimming_velocity
    label: swimming velocity
    node_type: CAPACITY
    description: Cell swimming speed driven by flagellar rotation.
  - node_id: carbon_limitation
    label: carbon limitation
    node_type: ENVIRONMENTAL_FACTOR
    description: Growth under limited carbon availability.
  - node_id: motility_investment
    label: motility
    node_type: CAPACITY
    description: Investment in motile, flagellum-driven swimming behavior.
  edges:
  - subject: bacterial_flagellum
    predicate: defines
    object: peritrichous_trait
    description: Flagella distributed over the cell surface define the peritrichous
      arrangement.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1093/femsre/fuv034
      notes: Schuhmacher et al. describe peritrichous flagellation as a conserved
        pattern.
    predicate_id: METPO:2007500
  - subject: peritrichous_trait
    predicate: associated with
    object: surface_placement
    description: The peritrichous pattern spaces multiple flagella across the cell
      surface.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.3390/biom9070279
      notes: Flagellum review supports multiple surface flagellar filaments as locomotory
        organelles.
    predicate_id: biolink:associated_with
  - subject: peritrichous_trait
    predicate: distinguished from
    object: polar_placement
    description: Peritrichous surface-distributed flagella are distinguished from
      polar flagellar arrangements.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.3390/fermentation10120606
      notes: Frolov et al. 2024 contrast Pseudomonas polar flagella located at one
        pole with peritrichous flagella located throughout the cell wall.
  - subject: flhg_regulator
    predicate: modulates
    object: flagellar_assembly_progression
    description: FlhG modulates FlhF and controls FliG interactions with C-ring proteins,
      regulating progression of flagellar assembly.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-50274-4
      notes: 'Dornes et al. 2024: FlhG''s modulation of FlhF controls FliG interaction
        with FliM/FliN, thereby regulating progression of flagellar assembly; general
        placement/number control.'
    predicate_id: RO:0002211
  - subject: flagellar_filament_number
    predicate: positively influences (saturating)
    object: swimming_velocity
    description: Swimming velocity rises with flagellar filament number up to a critical
      number then saturates.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-56980-x
      notes: 'Lisevich et al. 2025: swimming velocity increases with flagellar-gene
        expression only up to ~5 flagella, above which it saturates; functional phenotype
        of multiple peritrichous flagella.'
  - subject: carbon_limitation
    predicate: inversely correlates with
    object: motility_investment
    description: Under carbon-limited growth, motility stays below maximal and inversely
      correlates with growth rate.
    evidence:
    - reference: DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-56980-x
      notes: 'Lisevich et al. 2025: during carbon-limited growth motility remains
        below maximal levels and inversely correlates with growth rate.'
curation_history:
- timestamp: '2026-06-03T00:00:00Z'
  curator: claude
  action: PROPOSED_FROM_RESEARCH
  changes: Proposed candidate MORPHOLOGY trait (peritrichous 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 (surface-distributed flagella) 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 4 evidence-backed generic edges (7 new nodes) from the deep-research
    report.
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-24T17:21:13Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_PREDICATES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-edge predicate_id field(s) via mappings/predicate_grounding.tsv
    (RO:0002211×1).
  llm_assisted: true
- timestamp: '2026-06-26T07:15:19Z'
  curator: claude
  action: GROUND_CAUSAL_NODES
  changes: Grounded 1 causal-node grounding field(s) via mappings/node_grounding.tsv
    (UniProtKB:Q2N2M1×1).
  llm_assisted: true