Finding the ciliary beating pattern with optimal efficiency

Finding the ciliary beating pattern with optimal efficiency.

We introduce a measure for energetic efficiency of biological cilia acting individually or collectively and numerically determine the optimal beating patterns according to this criterion. Maximizing the efficiency of a single cilium leads to curly, often symmetric, and somewhat counterintuitive patterns. However, when looking at a densely ciliated surface, the optimal patterns become remarkably...

A Study of Ciliary Beating in Chlamydomonas

Flagellar and ciliary beating in trypanosome motility.

The single flagellum of Leishmania and Trypanosoma parasites is becoming an increasingly attractive model for the analysis of flagellar function-driven largely by the abundance of genomic and proteomic information available for the organelle, the genetic manipulability of the organisms and the importance of motility for the parasite lifecycle. However, as yet, there is a paucity of published da...

Swimming Controlled by Ciliary or Flagellar Beating

It has been k membrane po ity of ciliated potential of c means by mec ture stimuli ( mechanical st plasma memb FIGURE 1. Th channels (40) vating voltage iary/flagellar m an increase of in turn initiate movement. In ciliary Ca2+ co K+ channels. T brane potentia ated forward conductance tants and pher tivation of v characteristic ing rapidly ba (90). So far, th lar identificati Paramecium e chann...

Flagellar and ciliary beating: the proven and the possible.

The working mechanism of the eukaryotic flagellar axoneme remains one of nature's most enduring puzzles. The basic mechanical operation of the axoneme is now a story that is fairly complete; however, the mechanism for coordinating the action of the dynein motor proteins to produce beating is still controversial. Although a full grasp of the dynein switching mechanism remains elusive, recent exp...