Coulomb interactions between cytoplasmic electric fields and phosphorylated messenger proteins optimize information flow in cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Normal cell function requires timely and accurate transmission of information from receptors on the cell membrane (CM) to the nucleus. Movement of messenger proteins in the cytoplasm is thought to be dependent on random walk. However, Brownian motion will disperse messenger proteins throughout the cytosol resulting in slow and highly variable transit times. We propose that a critical component of information transfer is an intracellular electric field generated by distribution of charge on the nuclear membrane (NM). While the latter has been demonstrated experimentally for decades, the role of the consequent electric field has been assumed to be minimal due to a Debye length of about 1 nanometer that results from screening by intracellular Cl- and K+. We propose inclusio

SUBMITTER: Gatenby RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2920310 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature