Synchronization of axolotl olfactory cilia

Determine whether the motile cilia lining the axolotl olfactory epithelium synchronize in metachronal waves, as required to establish the magnitude of cilia-driven speed-up in aquatic odor adsorption.

Background

The paper models motile cilia as generating metachronal waves that pump water radially toward the absorbing olfactory epithelium. These waves substantially increase adsorption efficiency and odor flux in the aquatic olfactory chamber, but the predicted benefit depends strongly on the wavelength and synchronization of the ciliary beat.

Although motile ciliated cells are present in axolotl olfactory epithelium, the paper does not establish whether they coordinate their motion in metachronal waves. Resolving this question is necessary for determining whether the proposed active-pumping mechanism operates in vivo and for quantifying its contribution to aquatic olfaction.