Characterization of metachronal wave in beating cilia: distribution of phases in space.

We have examined phase differences between beating cilia measured in different directions on the surface. The measurements were performed on tissue cultures taken from frog palate epithelium. This experiment was based on a method developed earlier, which measures simultaneously scattered light from two different and relatively small areas. Moreover, the distance between the two small areas can be accurately defined and varied. Rotating the stage around the optical axis permits us to repat these measurements at different space angles. It was found that: a) the phase gradient is a periodic function of the angle of rotation; b) the periodicity can be described quantitatively by a cosine function; c) good agreement exists between Machemer's findings in protozoa and our results, despite the differences between the two systems and techniques used.