Chlamydomonas dynein-preassembly-deficient mutants exhibit characteristic ciliary responses to viscous media

Ciliary-dynein preassembly in the cytoplasm is critical for the assembly and movement of motile cilia, organelles that function under viscous conditions. Defects in preassembly often lead to a reduction in specific types of ciliary dyneins. Here, we investigated how environmental viscosity affects the motility of preassembly-deficient cilia in the alga Chlamydomonas. We found that, depending on the type of ciliary dynein deficiency, each Chlamydomonas mutant displays a characteristic phenotype in cell propulsion. Our results highlight not only the unique function(s) of each dynein species, but also the importance of functional coordination between dyneins for ciliary motility under viscous conditions.