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Related Concept Videos

Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potentials01:41

Action Potentials

Overview
Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles01:24

Generation of Action Potential in Skeletal Muscles

Every cell in the body maintains a membrane potential due to an uneven distribution of positive and negative charges across its plasma membrane. The membrane potential is measured in millivolts and quantifies the difference in charge across the membrane.
Like neurons, muscle cells are also regarded as excitable due to their capacity to change in response to stimuli, primarily due to voltage-gated ion channels embedded in their plasma membranes, which get activated by alterations in the cell's...
Electrical Synapses01:28

Electrical Synapses

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

Voltage-gated Ion Channels

Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that open and close in response to changes in the membrane potential. They are present on the membranes of all electrically excitable cells such as neurons, heart, and muscle cells.
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...

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Epithelial cells fire voltage spikes.

Sun-Min Yu1, Steve Granick1

  • 1Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|June 16, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Epithelial cells exhibit bioelectric signaling, generating voltage spikes in response to mechanical stress. This electrical excitability, mediated by mechanosensitive channels, challenges the notion that only neurons and muscles possess such signaling capabilities.

Keywords:
bioelectricityepithelialmechanosensitive ion channel keratinocytemultielectrode array chip

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Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Bioelectricity
  • Tissue engineering

Background:

  • Bioelectric signaling is established in neurons and cardiomyocytes.
  • Its role in epithelial tissues is largely unexplored.
  • Epithelia were traditionally not considered electrically excitable.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate bioelectric signaling in epithelial cells.
  • To determine the mechanisms underlying epithelial electrical excitability.
  • To explore the role of mechanical stress in epithelial bioelectricity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized multielectrode arrays to record electrical activity in epithelial monolayers (primary human keratinocytes and MDCK cells).
  • Induced localized laser injury to trigger bioelectric responses.
  • Employed calcium chelation (EDTA), myosin II inhibition (blebbistatin), and mechanosensitive channel modulators (GsMTx4, TRPV4, Piezo1 agonists).

Main Results:

  • Localized epithelial injury triggered slow voltage spikes (1-2s duration, 4-12/min).
  • Spike generation required calcium influx and actomyosin contractility.
  • Mechanosensitive channels (TRPV4, Piezo1) were sufficient to induce spiking, even without injury.
  • Electrical signals propagated non-monotonically over distances up to 740 μm.

Conclusions:

  • Epithelia possess intrinsic bioelectric excitability regulated by mechanical stress.
  • This challenges the exclusive role of electrical signaling in neurons and muscles.
  • Epithelial bioelectricity may coordinate collective cellular responses across tissues.