Description

High resolution micrograph of a cross section the 9 + 2 axoneme of the cilium of Tetrahymena. The plasma membrane covers the axoneme and is continuous with the plasma membrane covering the cell body. Each doublet tilts inward to the tangent of the axonemal cylinder. Two arms, an inner arm and outer arm, extend from the complete microtubule of each doublet. These arms have ATPase activity and are called dyneins. They cause one doublet to slide against the adjacent doublet. Other protein links in the axoneme are elastic and induce the characteristic bending of the cilium and prevent excess sliding as the doublets slide past each other. TEM taken on 7/15/67 by R. Allen with Philips 200 operating at 60kV. Neg. 19,200X. The raw film was scanned with an Epson Perfection V750 Pro. This image is best used for quantitative analysis.

Technical Details

Standard glutaraldehyde fixation followed by osmium tetroxide, dehydrated in alcohol and embedded in an epoxy resin. Microtome sections prepared at approximately 75nm thickness. Additional information available at (http://www5.pbrc.hawaii.edu/allen/).