Flagellar movement: a sliding filament model.

A sliding filament mechanism appears to provide the most satisfactory basis for a simple feedback mechanism for the control of bend propagation and bend initiation by flagella, and is supported by strong experimental evidence. A computer simulation of the movements of a flagellar model based on the sliding filament mechanism demonstrates that this mechanism offers a sufficient explanation for the automatic generation of flagellar bending waves. Further computer simulation studies may provide insight into questions such as the applicability of the sliding filament mechanism to the generation of the more complicated asymmetrical bending patterns of cilia, and the control of the bending pattern by interaction between several sliding filament systems within a flagellum.