THE COVALENT OSCILLATOR - A PARADIGM ACCOUNTING FOR THE SLIDING BENDING MECHANISM AND WAVE-PROPAGATION IN CILIA AND FLAGELLA

In most models of wave propagation in eucaryotic flagella and cilia, a clear distinction is made between the dynein dependent microtubule sliding which represents the oscillatory motor and the bending mechanism which regulates wave propagation. Little is known about the physical elements regulating the latter: in the present model, the bending propagation is postulated to be supported by an open/close cyclic mechanism protease/ligase dependent, which involves transient covalent links between adjacent microtubular doublets; this open/close cycle propagates in register with the powering action of the dynein motor along the axoneme. The implications of the model are discussed in relation to previous data which involve protease/ligase in the axonemal function as well as other data which can be integrated by the proposed model.