Question

Which of the cilia protein is analogous to myosin of muscles?

• A. Tubulin
• B. Dynein
• C. Flagellin
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is B Dynein

Dynein forms an integral part of cilia. It is a motor protein which converts the chemical energy contained in ATP into the mechanical energy of movement. Dynein transports various cellular cargo by "walking" along cytoskeletal microtubules towards the minus-end of the microtubule, which is usually oriented towards the cell center.

Axonemal dynein causes sliding of microtubules in the axonemes of cilia and flagella and is found only in cells that have those structures. There are parallels between the sliding filaments of skeletal muscle myosin and the sliding microtubules of cilia. Both are powered by ATP. Both motors dynein in cilia, myosin in skeletal muscle are ATPases. Both are regulated by calcium ions.