Theory of diffraction from eukaryotic flagellar axonemes

Abstract

Existing theories for diffraction from cylindrically symmetrical and helical objects are applied to the axonemes of eukaryotic flagella and cilia, motile organelles responsible for locomotion of cells, transportation of food and mucus, etc. Each axoneme has a scaffold of microtubules arranged in the "9 + 2" scheme. Motor proteins dynein and other proteins are associated with the scaffold with apparent axial periodicities, and their exact arrangement would be best explored by X-ray diffraction. Here, various symmetries are assumed (helical and nonhelical) in the arrangement of these proteins, and the reflections that will emerge are predicted, hereby providing a practical means to analyze diffraction patterns currently being recorded in the latest synchrotron radiation facilities.