Compare And Contrast Cilia And Flagella

Both cilia and flagella found protruding from the cell body on the surface of eukaryotic cells are made of many microtubular bundles. Cilia are hair-like structures that protrude from the cells surface in eukaryotic cells they are covered by a plasma membrane. They are formed from a stable bundle of microtubules; these grow from an area in the cytoplasm called the basal body. Microtubules are made of a protein called tubulin, alpha has a slightly negative charge and beta has a slightly positive charge. Cilia use repetitive movement to move fluids over the surface of a cell or to move a single cell. One area where cilia are abundant is the respiratory tract, there are more than a billion per square centimetre, and this is because dust and dirt can easily be breathed in. The cilia sweep and move mucus up and to the throat where it will eventually be removed from the body and cause no harm. They are also present in the oviduct walls to move the egg down the oviduct itself, they use a repetitive motion to cause a current of flow in the areas that they are situated. They perform a …show more content…
The repetitive motion of the flagellum can be seen most commonly and recognisably in sperm cells this motion along the length of the flagella causes the motion through the fluid. Both cilia and flagella rely on accessory proteins, some hold the structure together and others cause them the bend which is vital for their function. The accessory protein that is crucial for this bending movement is dynein this is attached to one microtubule by its tail and its head attaches to a parallel microtubule to form a sliding motion between the two. Due to multiple connections this forms the bending motion that is seen in the two