Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions
Published on: January 18, 2017
Thinking about flagellar oscillation
1Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA. brokawc@caltech.edu
Abstract:
Bending of cilia and flagella results from sliding between the microtubular outer doublets, driven by dynein motor enzymes. This review reminds us that many questions remain to be answered before we can understand how dynein-driven sliding causes the oscillatory bending of cilia and flagella. Does oscillation require switching between two distinct, persistent modes of dynein activity? Only one mode, an active forward mode, has been characterized, but an alternative mode, either inactive or reverse, appears to be required. Does switching between modes use information from curvature, sliding direction, or both? Is there a mechanism for reciprocal inhibition? Can a localized capability for oscillatory sliding become self-organized to produce the metachronal phase differences required for bend propagation? Are interactions between adjacent dyneins important for regulation of oscillation and bend propagation? Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2008. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Related Concept Videos
Flagella and Motility in Bacteria
Forced Oscillations
Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position
Damped Oscillations
Although friction and other non-conservative...
Oscillations In An LC Circuit
Mechanism of Ciliary Motion
The cilia are made up of microtubules in a 9+2 arrangement, with nine microtubule doublet ring bundles, surrounding a pair of central singlet microtubule bundles. The doublet microtubule bundles are...

