Hydrodynamic phase locking in mouse node cilia

Rotational movement of mouse node cilia generates leftward fluid flow in the node cavity, playing an important role in left-right determination in the embryo. Although rotation of numerous cilia was believed necessary to trigger the determination, recent reports indicate the action of two cilia to be sufficient. We examine cooperative cilia movement via hydrodynamic interaction. Results show cilia to be cooperative, having phases locked in a certain relation; a system with a pair of nonidentical cilia can achieve phase-locked states more easily than one with a pair of identical cilia.