Open AccessConditions for metachronal coordination in arrays of model cilia
Author(s) -
Fanyu Meng,
Rachel R. Bennett,
Nozomu Uchida,
Ramin Golestanian
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2102828118
Subject(s) - cilium , physics , work (physics) , classical mechanics , biological system , motile cilium , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , thermodynamics
Significance Motile cilia can coordinate with each other to beat in the form of a metachronal wave, which can facilitate the self-propulsion of microorganisms such asParamecium and can also be used for fluid transport such as mucus removal in trachea. How can we predict the collective behavior of arrays of many cilia coordinated by hydrodynamic interactions, and in particular, the properties of the emerging metachronal waves, from the single-cilium characteristics? We address this question using a bottom-up coarse-graining approach and present results that contribute to understanding how the dynamical self-organization of ciliary arrays can be controlled, which can have significant biological, medical, and engineering implications.