Control of ciliary beat frequency in the gill of Mytilus--II. Effects of saponin and Brij-58 on the lateral cilia.

The effects of saponin and Brij-58 on the beat activation of the lateral cilia on the gill of Mytilus edulis were investigated. The ciliary activation by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) decreased as the saponin-induced permeabilization progressed, increasing the reactivation of the ciliary beat by extracellularly applied ATP (1 mM). The cilia were activated by 5HT even after the treatment with saponin (0.01 and 0.02% w/v) or Brij-58 (0.07%) rendered the preparation capable of the reactivation by ATP. The saponin treatment itself stimulated the beat of the cilia. Theophylline (1 mM) augmented the saponin-induced activation of the cilia.