If sections are taken through the axoneme above the transitional plate or through the basal body (kinetosome) below the transitional plate, we can see that there is a rotational asymmetry. The dynein arms point in one direction (to the left in the axoneme image, above). Sections through basal bodies frequently show that the inner end (centripetal) of each triplet is tilted inwards, and that tilting is also evident in the upper image when we know when to look for it.

This asymmetry can be stylized.