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Spontaneous Creation of Macroscopic Flow and Metachronal Waves in an Array of Cilia

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Guirao, Boris, Joanny, Jean-François·2007·Biophysical Journal
DOI 10.1529/biophysj.106.084897PMC PMC1861806
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Abstract

Cells carrying cilia on their surface show many striking features: alignment of cilia in an array, two-phase asymmetric beating for each cilium, and existence of metachronal coordination with a constant phase difference between two adjacent cilia. We give simple theoretical arguments based on hydrodynamic coupling and an internal mechanism of the cilium derived from the behavior of a collection of molecular motors to account qualitatively for these cooperative features. Hydrodynamic interactions can lead to the alignment of an array of cilia. We study the effect of a transverse external flow and obtain a two-phase asymmetrical beating, faster along the flow and slower against the flow, proceeding around an average curved position. We show that an aligned array of cilia is able to spontaneously break the left-right symmetry and to create a global average flow. Metachronal coordination arises as a consequence of the internal mechanism of the cilia and their hydrodynamic couplings, with a wavelength comparable to that found in experiments. It allows the cilia to start beating at a lower adenosine-triphosphate threshold and at a higher frequency than for a single cilium. It also leads to a rather stationary flow, which might be its major advantage.

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  • Coordination of cilia can often be achieved by non-neural means, such as hydrodynamic coupling causing metachronal waves.

    “However, coordination of cilia can often be achieved by non-neural means. In particular, adjacent cilia in multiciliated epithelia spontaneously synchronize their beating activity by means of hydrodynamic coupling, leading to the formation of metachronal waves in multiciliated epithelia or ciliary bands [14-16].”

    From An option space for early neural evolution (2015) · cites this paper as [15]

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Camalet, S. 2001. Oscillations critiques de syste `mes biologiques. PhD thesis. Universite ´Paris VI, Paris, France.

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Authors
Guirao, B., & Joanny, J.-F.
Affiliations
Physique des Cellules et Cancers (FR)
Corresponding author
Guirao, Boris
ORCID
Venue
Biophysical Journal
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2007-03
Volume
92
Issue
6
Pages
1900-1917
ISSN
0006-3495 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1529/biophysj.106.084897
PMC
PMC1861806
OpenAlex
W2002858269
Cited by
228
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 13
FWCI
3.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Biophysical Journal (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • CERN Document Server (European Organization for Nuclear Research) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and Kidney Cyst Diseases
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Condensed Matter Physics › Micro and Nano Robotics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Cystic Fibrosis Research Advances
Keywords
cilia, hydrodynamic interactions, ciliary beating, left-right symmetry breaking, molecular motors
MeSH terms
Biological Clocks, Cell Movement, Cilia, Computer Simulation, Microtubules, Models, Biological, Oscillometry, Molecular Motor Proteins, Microfluidics

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