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Related Experiment Videos

Voltage-induced membrane movement.

P C Zhang1, A M Keleshian, F Sachs

  • 1HHMI Center for Single Molecule Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14214, USA.

Nature
|September 28, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Transmembrane voltage drives cell movement by altering membrane tension. This electromotility, influenced by cell stiffness and surface charge, was confirmed using atomic force microscopy in HEK293 cells.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cellular Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Thermodynamics predicts transmembrane voltage affects membrane tension, leading to cell movement.
  • Cell stiffness and surface potentials govern the direction and magnitude of this movement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally confirm thermodynamic predictions of voltage-induced cell movement.
  • To quantify the relationship between voltage, cell properties, and movement.
  • To investigate the role of surface charge and the effect of salicylate on electromotility.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to track movement of voltage-clamped HEK293 cells.
  • Performed experiments in solutions of varying ionic strengths.
  • Applied a physical model to estimate surface charge densities.

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Main Results:

  • Confirmed voltage-induced cell movement (electromotility) in HEK293 cells.
  • Observed outward movement in normal saline and inward movement in low ionic strength solutions.
  • Movement amplitude correlated with voltage (~1 nm/100 mV) and indentation depth.
  • Estimated external and internal surface charge densities.
  • Salicylate inhibited electromotility by increasing external charge, suggesting a potential reassessment of prestin's role.

Conclusions:

  • Experimental evidence supports thermodynamic predictions of transmembrane voltage-driven cell movement.
  • Cellular electromotility is dependent on ionic strength, voltage, and cell mechanical properties.
  • Surface charge plays a critical role in modulating electromotility, with implications for mechanosensitive proteins like prestin.