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Updated: May 10, 2026
06:08
Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions
Published on: January 18, 2017
Intraflagellar transport drives flagellar surface motility
Sheng Min Shih1, Benjamin D Engel, Fatih Kocabas
1Department of Physics , University of California, Berkeley , Berkeley , United States.
Elife
|June 25, 2013
Summary
Intraflagellar transport (IFT) powers Chlamydomonas gliding motility by coupling to membrane glycoproteins. This mechanism reveals how IFT drives cell movement and ciliary signaling during surface adhesion.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Cilia and flagella assembly and maintenance depend on intraflagellar transport (IFT) along the axoneme.
- The precise mechanisms linking IFT to sensory and motile ciliary functions are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether intraflagellar transport (IFT) provides the force for Chlamydomonas flagellar surface motility (FSM).
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying IFT's role in cell gliding.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Chlamydomonas flagellar surface motility (FSM) as a model system.
- Investigated the coupling between IFT trains and flagellar membrane glycoproteins (FMGs).
- Analyzed the role of calcium ions (Ca2+) and dynein-1b motors in motility.
Main Results:
- IFT trains are coupled to flagellar membrane glycoproteins (FMGs) in a calcium-dependent manner.
- IFT trains transiently pause during surface adhesion, driven by FMG cargos.
- Dynein-1b motors actively pull the cell towards the flagellar tip, utilizing at least four motors per train with sequential activation.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated the mechanism of Chlamydomonas gliding motility, involving IFT-FMG coupling and dynein-1b motor activity.
- Suggests a significant role for IFT in adhesion-induced ciliary signaling pathways.
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