Linked Life Data

2917693

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/2917693

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1989-3-29
pubmed:abstractText
Ionic currents and cytoplasmic voltage gradients have been observed in a variety of polarizing cells and developing tissues. In certain cases, it has been determined that these endogenous electric fields can segregate intracellular charged molecules by electrophoresis; in other cases, the endogenous fields are suspected to have such an influence. Separate theoretical suggestions have been made that extracellular electric currents, whether from a biological or a nonbiological source, should be able to electrophorese intracellular molecules after being conducted through cell membranes into the interior of long single cells [L.F. Jaffe and R. Nuccitelli (1977) Annu. Rev. Biophys. Bioeng. 6, 445-476] or extended ensembles of cells coupled electrotonically by gap junctions [M.S. Cooper (1984) J. Theor. Biol. 111, 123-130]. To test whether external electric fields could redistribute intracellular molecules within a tissue coupled by gap junctions, and to quantitatively measure in situ the electrophoretic mobility of a charged intracellular molecule, we injected 6-carboxyfluorescein into the electrotonically coupled lateral giant neurons of the crayfish abdominal nerve cord. When a dc electric field (0.2-3.4 V/cm) was subsequently applied along the length of the cord, the negatively charged fluorescent dye was observed to migrate through both the cytoplasms and the gap junctions of the lateral giant neurons, toward the anode, at a rate directly proportional to the applied electric field strength (electrophoretic mobility = -0.92 +/- 0.27 micron/sec per V/cm). These results suggest that electric fields of a sufficient magnitude, whether of an exogenous or an endogenous origin, can repattern the distribution of charged molecules within the cytoplasm of an extended ensemble of coupled cells. In addition, these results suggest that externally applied electric fields might be used in studies of pattern formation to repattern the intercellular distribution of charged molecules that are permeant to gap junctions within electrically coupled tissues.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0012-1606
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
132
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
179-88
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1989
pubmed:articleTitle
Electrophoretic repatterning of charged cytoplasmic molecules within tissues coupled by gap junctions by externally applied electric fields.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Zoology, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.