Undulipodium

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An undulipodium or undulopodium (

cilia which are differing terms for similar molecular structures used on different types of cells, and usually correspond to different waveforms
.

The name was coined to differentiate from the

prokaryotic cells.[1][2]

The usage of the term was early supported by

endosymbiotic theory.[3] The eukaryotic cilia are structurally identical to eukaryotic flagella, although distinctions are sometimes made according to function and/or length.[4] The Gene Ontology database does not make a distinction between the two, referring to most undulipodia as "motile cilium", and to that in the sperm as sperm flagellum.[5]

Usage

In the 1980s, biologists such as Margulis advocated the use of the name "undulipodium", because of the apparent structural and functional differences between the cilia and flagella of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. They argued that the name "flagellum" should be restricted to prokaryotic organelles, such as bacterial flagella and

antennae, and ordinary cilia: it was argued that these were not undulipodia as they lacked a rotary movement mechanism.[7]

However, the term "undulipodium" is not generally endorsed by biologists, who argue that the original purpose of the name does not sufficiently differentiate the cilia and flagella of eukaryotic from those of prokaryotic cells. For example, the early concept was the trivial homology of the flagella of

flagellates and the pseudopodia of amoebae. The consensus terminology is to use "cilium" and "flagellum" for all purposes.[1][8]

References

  1. ^
    PMID 23195228
    .
  2. ^ Margulis L, Lovelock JE. "CP-2156 Life In The Universe: Atmospheres and Evolution". history.nasa.gov. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  3. PMID 11541392
    .
  4. ^ Haimo LT, Rosenbaum JL (December 1981). "Cilia, flagella, and microtubules". J. Cell Biol. 91 (3 Pt 2): 125s–130s.
    PMID 6459327
    .
  5. ^ "Term Details for "motile cilium" (GO:0005929)". AmiGO 2. Synonyms: motile cilia, microtubule-based flagellum, motile primary cilia, motile primary cilium, motile secondary cilium, nodal cilium
  6. PMID 7378551
    .
  7. PMID 18365235
    .
  8. PMID 7378552
    .
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