Question

The flagella of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells differ in
A. Microtubular organization and function.
B. Type of movement and placement in the cell.
C. Location in cell and mode of functioning.
D. Microtubular organization and type of movement.

Answer 1

Hint: The prokaryotic and eukaryotic flagella differ in the movement and their structure, where the eukaryotes have a microtubule structure and are attached to the cell membrane through the basal body, whereas in prokaryotes the flagella are located outside of the plasma membrane.

Complete answer: The main difference between the prokaryotic and eukaryotic flagella are:

Eukaryotic flagella	Prokaryotic flagella
They run in a bending movement	They run in a rotatory movement
Tubulin proteins are present	They are made of flagellin proteins.
They are large and thick	They are narrow and small
They can move back and forth that is they have undulatory movement	They move clockwise and anti-clockwise and are the rotatory movement.
Microtubule is absent	Microtubule is present
They bear rootlets on the basal body	They bear rings on the basal body
They are covered by the membranous sheath	They are not covered by the membranous sheath.

Hence, the correct option is ‘D’

Additional information: The microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) is a formation found in eukaryotic cells from which microtubules emerge.
MTOCs have two main functions: the organization of eukaryotic flagella and cilia and the organization of the mitotic and meiotic spindle apparatus, which differentiates the chromosomes during cell division.

Note: The eukaryotic flagella and the prokaryotic flagella are made of 9+2 arrangements. The non-motile flagella have an arrangement of 9+0 which acts as a sensory receptor.