help button home button Biophys. J.
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tuszynski, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by Cantiello, H. F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tuszynski, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by Cantiello, H. F.
Biophysical Journal 86:1890-1903 (2004)
© 2004 The Biophysical Society

Ionic Wave Propagation along Actin Filaments

J. A. Tuszynski *, S. Portet *, J. M. Dixon *, C. Luxford * and H. F. Cantiello {dagger}

* Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J1, Canada; and {dagger} Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129 USA

Correspondence: Address reprint requests to J. A. Tuszynski, E-mail: jtus{at}phys.ualberta.ca.

We investigate the conditions enabling actin filaments to act as electrical transmission lines for ion flows along their lengths. We propose a model in which each actin monomer is an electric element with a capacitive, inductive, and resistive property due to the molecular structure of the actin filament and viscosity of the solution. Based on Kirchhoff's laws taken in the continuum limit, a nonlinear partial differential equation is derived for the propagation of ionic waves. We solve this equation in two different regimes. In the first, the maximum propagation velocity wave is found in terms of Jacobi elliptic functions. In the general case, we analyze the equation in terms of Fisher-Kolmogoroff modes with both localized and extended wave characteristics. We propose a new signaling mechanism in the cell, especially in neurons.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Biophys. JHome page
K. M. Tyner, R. Kopelman, and M. A. Philbert
"Nanosized Voltmeter" Enables Cellular-Wide Electric Field Mapping
Biophys. J., August 15, 2007; 93(4): 1163 - 1174.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Biophys. JHome page
H. Sanabria, J. H. Miller Jr., A. Mershin, R. F. Luduena, A. A. Kolomenski, H. A. Schuessler, and D. V. Nanopoulos
Impedance Spectroscopy of {alpha}-{beta} Tubulin Heterodimer Suspensions
Biophys. J., June 15, 2006; 90(12): 4644 - 4650.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Biophys. JHome page
A. Priel, A. J. Ramos, J. A. Tuszynski, and H. F. Cantiello
A Biopolymer Transistor: Electrical Amplification by Microtubules
Biophys. J., June 15, 2006; 90(12): 4639 - 4643.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2004 by the Biophysical Society.