Quote:
Originally Posted by Mighty Salami
So what I'm trying to say is that although it might not work if not all the components are present, the components themselves can be taken from other cells and used for a different purpose. Isn't it incredible that the TTSS can do two completely different things?
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That's a tricky way of getting to the main point, I think.
Put simply, the TTSS represents a reduced version of the flagellum which, as you write, is useful for pumping/secreting proteins. Had the flagellum been irreducibly complex, then any "reduced" part of it (like the TTSS) would be useless. The TTSS shows that it is possible for bacteria to evolve a TTSS first and then evolve that structure into something more complex (made up of more proteins) like a flagellum.