Calcium and microtubule sliding in ciliary axonemes isolated from Paramecium caudatum

Microtubule sliding was induced in axonemes obtained from isolated cilia of Paramecium caudatum when they were exposed to a reactivating solution containing ATP after mild treatment with trypsin. Over a very wide range of concentrations (1 nM-4 mM), Ca2+ in the reactivating solution had no effect on the proportion of axonemes that disintegrated as the result of microtubule sliding. Also, the velocity of sliding, determined by cinematography, and the polarity of the direction of sliding-force generation, determined by electron microscopy with regards to the base-to-tip axis of the cilium, were not affected by Ca2+. The results indicate that the Ca sensitivity, which is responsible for the ciliary reversal response, was removed from the axoneme, possibly as the result of trypsin treatment. It is thus unlikely that Ca sensitivity is attributable to the basic sliding machinery that powers ciliary movement.