A Bio-Polymer Transistor: Electrical Amplification by Microtubules

Details A Bio-Polymer Transistor: Electrical Amplification by Microtubules A Bio-Polymer Transistor: Electrical Amplification by Microtubules

2006-06-09

arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0606009v1

Biophys. J. 2006 90: 4639-4643

Biology

Quantitative Biology

Subcellular Processes

This is the final submitted version. The published version should be downloaded from Biophysical Journal

Scientific paper

10.1529/biophysj.105.078915

Microtubules (MTs) are important cytoskeletal structures, engaged in a number of specific cellular activities, including vesicular traffic, cell cyto-architecture and motility, cell division, and information processing within neuronal processes. MTs have also been implicated in higher neuronal functions, including memory, and the emergence of "consciousness". How MTs handle and process electrical information, however, is heretofore unknown. Here we show new electrodynamic properties of MTs. Isolated, taxol-stabilized microtubules behave as bio-molecular transistors capable of amplifying electrical information. Electrical amplification by MTs can lead to the enhancement of dynamic information, and processivity in neurons can be conceptualized as an "ionic-based" transistor, which may impact among other known functions, neuronal computational capabilities.

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