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. 2013 Mar 7;18(2):187–199. doi: 10.2478/s11658-013-0082-3

The role of passive calcium influx through the cell membrane in galvanotaxis

Przemysław Borys 1,✉
PMCID: PMC6275758  PMID: 23468381

Abstract

Passive calcium influx is one of the theories to explain the cathodal galvanotaxis of cells that utilize the electric field to guide their motion. When exposed to an electric field, the intracellular fluid becomes polarized, leading to positive charge accumulation on the cathodal side and negative charge accumulation on the anodal side. The negative charge on the anodal side attracts extracellular calcium ions, increasing the anodal calcium concentration, which is supposed to decrease the mobile properties of this side. Unfortunately, this model does not capture the Ca2+ dynamics after its presentation to the intracellular fluid. The ions cannot permanently accumulate on the anodal side because that would build a potential drop across the cytoplasm leading to an ionic current, which would carry positive ions (not only Ca2+) from the anodal to the cathodal part through the cytoplasm. If the cytoplasmic conductance for Ca2+ is low enough compared to the membrane conductance, the theory could correctly predict the actual behavior. If the ions move through the cytoplasm at a faster rate, compensating for the passive influx, this theory may fail. This paper contains a discussion of the regimes of validity for this theory.

Key words: Galvanotaxis, Electrotaxis, Passive influx, Leak current, PNP equation, Electrodiffusion, Motility

Full Text

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Abbreviations used

PMCA

plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase

PNP equation

Poisson-Nernst-Planck equation

SERCA

sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase

TRPC

transient receptor potential cation channels

VGCC

voltage-gated calcium channel

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