When cilia stop beating, their role in moving mucus ceases, but it is uncertain if nonmotile cilia preserve their external architecture and are thus capable of maintaining an additional role of retarding microbial access to the cell. Cilia of chicken embryo tracheal organ cultures were observed until their activity stopped. When examined with scanning electron microscopy, ciliary axonemes did not appear to differ significantly from normally functioning cilia when observed at lower magnifications. Since their density can remain essentially unchanged, nonbeating cilia may still have a role in protecting respiratory membrane from toxic microorganisms.
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