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Hydrodynamic Synchronization of Spontaneously Beating Filaments.
Brato Chakrabarti1, David Saintillan1
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|December 7, 2019
Summary
This study reveals how pairs of beating flagella synchronize their motion. Asymmetric beats lead to in-phase or antiphase synchrony, while symmetric beats always synchronize in phase.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Flagellar and ciliary beating are crucial for cellular motility and fluid transport.
- Understanding the synchronization mechanisms of these biological oscillators is key to explaining collective behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the elastohydrodynamic phase synchronization of spontaneously beating flagellar axonemes.
- To explore how different waveform symmetries and biochemical noise affect synchronization patterns.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a geometric feedback model of the flagellar axoneme.
- Incorporated dynein motor kinetics and elastohydrodynamic interactions.
- Simulated waveforms ranging from sperm to cilia and Chlamydomonas.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that asymmetric beats can result in both in-phase and antiphase synchrony.
- Showed that symmetric waveforms consistently synchronize in phase.
- Elucidated the mechanism of phase slips caused by biochemical noise.
Conclusions:
- Hydrodynamics and mechanochemical feedback are critical for flagellar synchronization.
- Model predictions align with experimental observations.
- Provides insights into the fundamental principles governing biological oscillator synchronization.
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