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Follow the Beat

How cilia – certain cells' whisker-like projections – synchronise wave movements to enhance their physiological function of fluid pumping

25 February 2023

Follow the Beat

Motile cilia keep things flowing. These cell projections, which line certain tissues, such as those in your nose, periodically beat to move fluid along. In dense carpets of cilia, they coordinate their beats in travelling movements called metachronal waves. How they do this isn’t clear, so researchers investigate in zebrafish noses. Fluorescence microscopy combined with spectral analysis revealed cilia only synchronised locally and the synchronisation area increased in size as the surrounding fluid became thicker. Although synchronisation was local, metachronal waves travelled across the entire multi-ciliated tissue. The direction of these wave patterns was the same across fish but different between left and right nose (pictured) where they were mirror reflections of each other. Computational modelling of wave patterns revealed that their synchronisation prevented cilia (magenta) colliding with each other and improved fluid movement but hardly affected the direction of flow. These waves, therefore, help cilia perform at their best.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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