Self-Organizing Proteinoid-Actin Networks: Structure and Voltage Dynamics

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Neuroscience
• Materials Science

Background:

• Proteinoids, thermal polymers of amino acids, form microspheres with electrical potential spikes.
• Actin (F-actin) is a crucial cytoskeletal protein in eukaryotic cells, forming filaments for cellular structure and function.
• Primitive neuron models are needed to understand the origins of neural systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create and investigate proteinoid-actin networks as physical models of primitive neurons.
• To analyze the structure and electrical dynamics of these proteinoid-actin assemblies.
• To determine if proteinoid-actin mixtures exhibit synergistic electrical properties.

Main Methods:

• Production and characterization of proteinoid-actin networks.
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for structural analysis.
• Multichannel electrical recordings for electrical dynamics and conductivity measurements.

Main Results:

• Proteinoid-actin microspheres display ion channel-like pores.
• The proteinoid-actin mixture shows significantly higher conductivity (4.68 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm) than pure actin (1.23 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm) or proteinoid (2.45 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm).
• Distinct electrical dynamics were observed: type I spiking in proteinoids, type II excitability in actin, and bistable dynamics in the mixture, indicating synergy.

Conclusions:

• Proteinoid-actin complexes exhibit enhanced electrical properties due to component synergy.
• These complexes can function as primitive bioelectrical systems.
• This research offers insights into the evolution of primordial neural systems.