Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Structural basis of ciliary movement.

Environmental Health Perspectives

|April 1, 1980

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Motile cilia use a 9+2 microtubule structure powered by ATP hydrolysis. Dynein arms drive microtubule sliding for ciliary beating, with calcium ions regulating motility.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

STUDIES ON CILIA : II. Examination of the Distal Region of the Ciliary Shaft and the Role of the Filaments in Motility.

The Journal of cell biology·2009

Same author

THE CELL JUNCTION IN A LAMELLIBRANCH GILL CILIATED EPITHELIUM : Localization of Pyroantimonate Precipitate.

The Journal of cell biology·2009

Same author

A regulatory light chain of ciliary outer arm dynein in Tetrahymena thermophila.

The Journal of biological chemistry·2001

Same author

A comment on the origin of the vertebrate eye.

The Anatomical record·2001

Same author

Microtubule and motor-dependent endocytic vesicle sorting in vitro.

The Journal of cell biology·2000

Same author

Evidence for a novel affinity mechanism of motor-assisted transport along microtubules.

Molecular biology of the cell·2000

Same journal

A New Start.

Environmental health perspectives·2026

Same journal

Time-Varying Exposure to Element Mixtures and Children's Cognition at 5 Years of Age: Findings from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study.

Environmental health perspectives·2026

Same journal

Effect of Household Air Pollution on the Gut Microbiome and Virome of Adult Women Living in Uganda.

Environmental health perspectives·2026

Same journal

Comparison of Temperature-Mortality Associations across the Middle East Using Different Exposure Estimation Approaches.

Environmental health perspectives·2026

Same journal

Workflow for Statistical Analysis of Environmental Mixtures.

Environmental health perspectives·2026

Same journal

Effects of Extreme Heat Exposure on Heatstroke and Liver Injury in Mice: The Role of PPARα.

Environmental health perspectives·2026

See all related articles

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Biochemistry

Background:

Somatic cilia, including those in the human respiratory tract, share a conserved 9+2 microtubule axoneme structure.
This structure is powered by ATP hydrolysis, with dynein arms facilitating microtubule sliding for motility.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying ciliary motility.
To investigate the role of dynein arms and calcium ions in ciliary function.

Main Methods:

Analysis of ciliary ultrastructure using electron microscopy.
Biochemical characterization of dynein motor proteins.
Functional assays involving controlled manipulation of ion concentrations (ATP, Ca2+).

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

Aberrant axonemal assembly, such as missing dynein arms or spokes, results in nonmotile cilia.
Dynein arms, composed of ATPase isoenzymes, generate force for microtubule sliding in the presence of ATP.
Calcium ions play a crucial role in regulating ciliary beat frequency and can arrest motility at elevated concentrations.

Conclusions:

Ciliary motility is a complex process involving coordinated microtubule sliding driven by dynein motors.
The ciliary membrane and intracellular ion concentrations, particularly calcium, are critical for regulating ciliary function.