Bio-Ferroelectricity at the Nanoscale

Tuszyński, Jack A.; Craddock, Travis J. A.; Carpenter, Eric J.

doi:10.1166/jctn.2008.1008

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(50 reference statements)

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“…Ferroelectricity, wherein the spontaneous polarization can be externally switched, however, has only recently been discovered in aortic walls and other biological systems [12,16,17], despite persistent speculation on its biological significance [18,19]. We hypothesize that elastin, one of the main extracellular matrix components of the aorta, is ferroelectric, since collagens have been previously reported to be nonswitchable [20,21].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Glucose Suppresses Biological Ferroelectricity in Aortic Elastin

et al. 2013

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Elastin is an intriguing extracellular matrix protein present in all connective tissues of vertebrates, rendering essential elasticity to connective tissues subjected to repeated physiological stresses. Using piezoresponse force microscopy, we show that the polarity of aortic elastin is switchable by an electrical field, which may be associated with the recently discovered biological ferroelectricity in the aorta. More interestingly, it is discovered that the switching in aortic elastin is largely suppressed by glucose treatment, which appears to freeze the internal asymmetric polar structures of elastin, making it much harder to switch, or suppressing the switching completely. Such loss of ferroelectricity could have important physiological and pathological implications from aging to arteriosclerosis that are closely related to glycation of elastin.

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confidence: 99%

Glucose Suppresses Biological Ferroelectricity in Aortic Elastin

et al. 2013

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“…When Craddock and colleagues did a power regression analysis on data from [29], they obtained a line of best fit for the relation between τ and L given by τ = 9.01 × 10 8 L 1.88 [30]. While the power exponent for L was within 10% with that obtained by Minoura and Muto, the prefactor was found to be only within 22% of their result [30] cf. [29].…”

Section: Structure Surface Charge and Electric Dipole Of Tubulinmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…With the exception of poorly defined regions, such as that of the C-termini of tubulin monomers, the structure determined in [22] is a good fit to the Ramanchandran plot and is widely accepted as being accurate. While this concentration of negative charge is critical to the distribution of counterions on the surface of the microtubule, Minoura and Muto used an electro-orientation method to measure the conductivity and dielectric constant of microtubules [29], and this raises some concerns that have been previously noted [30]. The main reason that the C-terminal regions of tubulin resist full structural characterization is their structural flexibility and a small size.…”

Section: Structure Surface Charge and Electric Dipole Of Tubulinmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cytoskeleton as a Nanoscale Information Processor: Electrical Properties and an Actin-Microtubule Network Model

Woolf¹,

Priel²,

Tuszyński³

2009

Nanoneuroscience

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One of the major goals of nanotechnology is to advance the field of information processing. The central processing units of the future are likely to be quite different from those currently used. While biomolecular processors are unlikely to displace semiconductor processors for speed and accuracy, certain proteins may offer solutions to problems confronting logical processor design, including self-assembly and emergent computation. Cytoskeletal proteins may prove useful as biomolecular processors or may inspire hybrid designs. Actin filaments and microtubules, for example, have highly charged surfaces that enable them to conduct electric currents and process information. The biophysical properties of these filaments relevant to the conduction of ionic current include a condensation of counterions on the filament surface, the non-linear complex physical structure, and in the case of microtubules, nanopores that allow ions to pass between the outer environment to the microtubule lumen. Possible roles for cable-like, conductive filaments in neurons include intracellular information processing, regulation of developmental plasticity, and mediation of transport. Operating as an interconnected matrix, cytoskeletal proteins form a complex network capable of emergent information processing; moreover, they stand to intervene between inputs to and outputs from neurons. The cytoskeletal matrix receives information from the neuronal membrane and its intrinsic components (e.g., ion channels, scaffolding proteins, and adaptor proteins), especially at sites of synaptic contacts and spines, and in turn affects the output of the neuron. An information-processing model based on cytoskeletal networks is described, which may underlie certain types of learning and memory. 863 The Cytoskeleton as a Nanoscale Information Processor 3.

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“…The piezoresponse force microscopy is the most descriptive method to get insight into the piezoelectric and ferroelectric phenomena at the nanoscale [23] in different materials. Nevertheless, the comprehension of these phenomena at the molecule scale has not been explained accurately, more specifically, why polymers present this effect [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Description of New Bioelectromechanical Properties in Alginate: An Insight with a Computer Simulation

Heredia¹,

Gervacio-Arciniega²,

Duarte-Alaniz³

et al. 2017

AMPC

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Alginate biopolymer from Tropicalgin C302245 was studied by means of piezoresponse force microscopy imaging, scanning electron microscopy, powder X-rays, infrared spectroscopy and computer simulations. Local piezoresponse force microscopy images show possible ferroelectric domains detected in the out of plane mode and these results are confirmed by the second harmonic generation analysis. Alginate powder is composed by diatom frustules containing a cristobalite-like compound, amorphous silica and chitin. The experimental results are explained by MM+ and PM3 computer simulations that establish that the self-assembly of the alginate molecules enhance the polarization increasing the molecular collective dipole moment. Alginate molecular properties might open interesting possibilities for organic technological applications.

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Bio-Ferroelectricity at the Nanoscale

Cited by 21 publications

References 31 publications

Glucose Suppresses Biological Ferroelectricity in Aortic Elastin

Glucose Suppresses Biological Ferroelectricity in Aortic Elastin

The Cytoskeleton as a Nanoscale Information Processor: Electrical Properties and an Actin-Microtubule Network Model

Description of New Bioelectromechanical Properties in Alginate: An Insight with a Computer Simulation

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