Is the 9+2 pattern of flagellar and ciliary axonemes an efficient arrangement for generating planar bending?
A circlet of 9 interacting microtubular doublets generates less bending moment at low bending rates, but allows bending moment to be generated at higher bending rates, and has an energy efficiency at least 92% as great as an arrangement with all the interactions between microtubular doublets in a plane parallel to the bending plane. The axonemal arrangement has no significant effect on the shape of the normalized relationship between active shear moment and shear rate.
D002923:Cilia / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship