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

Abstract

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.

Weak power frequency magnetic fields induce microtubule cytoskeleton reorganization depending on the epidermal growth factor receptor and the calcium related signaling

“…MT possibly interacts with cortical actin network to determine stationary or migratory state of the cell [ 2 ]. Especially, MT is important in neuron cells, where it forms neural tubes, determines the position of axon, and participates in early neurite differentiation [ 19 ].…”

The Role of Cell Membrane Information Reception, Processing, and Communication in the Structure and Function of Multicellular Tissue

“…Many studies have demonstrated that the main elements of the cytoskeleton (microtubules and microfilaments), in addition to their structural role in cell shape and movement, have the capacity to conduct ions [45,46,47,48,49]. This seems likely to be a potential mechanism of signal transmission [47,49], but the biological role for this conduction has not been clearly demonstrated. We propose that, while much the information received at the membrane can be processed locally to produce only a local response, some signals may require a global cellular response and, thus, must be disseminated to the nucleus and other organelles.…”

Neuromorphic Liquid Marbles with Aqueous Carbon Nanotube Cores

“…More generally, physical systems may be applied to mathematical problems to create machines and computers. Complex systems may be correspondingly abstracted in algorithmic terms in order to describe phenomena that have traditionally evaded the grasp of understanding, such as complexity arising from biological sensorial-actuation networks, through which phenomena such as 'intelligence' are hypothesised to emerge [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], even in organisms that do not possess nervous systems [8]. This application of computing concepts and development of experimental devices therein encompasses the field of 'unconventional computing'.…”