1
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Martinez KN, Gerstner NC, Yang SJ, Miller EW. Extended voltage imaging in cardiomyocytes with a triplet state quencher-stabilized silicon rhodamine. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2024; 109:129842. [PMID: 38844174 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2024.129842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Voltage imaging of cardiac electrophysiology with voltage-sensitive dyes has long been a powerful complement to traditional methods like patch-clamp electrophysiology. Chemically synthesized voltage sensitive fluorophores offer flexibility for imaging in sensitive samples like human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs), since they do not require genetic transformation of the sample. One serious concern for any fluorescent voltage indicator, whether chemically synthesized or genetically encoded, is phototoxicity. We have been exploring self-healing fluorophores that use triplet state quenchers (TSQs) as a means to reduce the already low phototoxicity of VoltageFluor dyes developed in our lab. We previously showed that conjugation of the TSQ cyclooctatetraene (COT) to a fluorescein based VoltageFluor dye substantially reduced phototoxicity. Here, we show that this approach can be applied to far-red Silicon rhodamine dyes. COT-conjugated Si-rhodamines show improved photostability and reduced phototoxicity in hiPSC-CMs compared to the unmodified dye. This enables imaging of hiPSC-CMs for up to 30 min with continuous illumination. We show that this effect is mediated by a combination of reduced singlet oxygen production and lower loading in the cellular membrane. We discuss future applications and avenues of improvement for TSQ-stabilized VoltageFluor dyes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayli N Martinez
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1460, USA
| | - Nels C Gerstner
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1460, USA
| | - Samantha J Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1460, USA
| | - Evan W Miller
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1460, USA; Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1460, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1460, USA.
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2
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Pio-Lopez L, Levin M. Aging as a loss of morphostatic information: A developmental bioelectricity perspective. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 97:102310. [PMID: 38636560 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Maintaining order at the tissue level is crucial throughout the lifespan, as failure can lead to cancer and an accumulation of molecular and cellular disorders. Perhaps, the most consistent and pervasive result of these failures is aging, which is characterized by the progressive loss of function and decline in the ability to maintain anatomical homeostasis and reproduce. This leads to organ malfunction, diseases, and ultimately death. The traditional understanding of aging is that it is caused by the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage. In this article, we propose a complementary view of aging from the perspective of endogenous bioelectricity which has not yet been integrated into aging research. We propose a view of aging as a morphostasis defect, a loss of biophysical prepattern information, encoding anatomical setpoints used for dynamic tissue and organ homeostasis. We hypothesize that this is specifically driven by abrogation of the endogenous bioelectric signaling that normally harnesses individual cell behaviors toward the creation and upkeep of complex multicellular structures in vivo. Herein, we first describe bioelectricity as the physiological software of life, and then identify and discuss the links between bioelectricity and life extension strategies and age-related diseases. We develop a bridge between aging and regeneration via bioelectric signaling that suggests a research program for healthful longevity via morphoceuticals. Finally, we discuss the broader implications of the homologies between development, aging, cancer and regeneration and how morphoceuticals can be developed for aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léo Pio-Lopez
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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3
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Park P, Wong-Campos D, Itkis DG, Lee BH, Qi Y, Davis H, Antin B, Pasarkar A, Grimm JB, Plutkis SE, Holland KL, Paninski L, Lavis LD, Cohen AE. Dendritic excitations govern back-propagation via a spike-rate accelerometer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.06.02.543490. [PMID: 37398232 PMCID: PMC10312650 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.02.543490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Dendrites on neurons support nonlinear electrical excitations, but the computational significance of these events is not well understood. We developed molecular, optical, and analytical tools to map sub-millisecond voltage dynamics throughout the dendritic trees of CA1 pyramidal neurons under diverse optogenetic and synaptic stimulus patterns, in acute brain slices. We observed history-dependent spike back-propagation in distal dendrites, driven by locally generated Na+ spikes (dSpikes). Dendritic depolarization created a transient window for dSpike propagation, opened by A-type K V channel inactivation, and closed by slow N a V inactivation. Collisions of dSpikes with synaptic inputs triggered calcium channel and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent plateau potentials, with accompanying complex spikes at the soma. This hierarchical ion channel network acts as a spike-rate accelerometer, providing an intuitive picture of how dendritic excitations shape associative plasticity rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pojeong Park
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David Wong-Campos
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Daniel G Itkis
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Byung Hun Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yitong Qi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hunter Davis
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin Antin
- Departments of Statistics and Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amol Pasarkar
- Departments of Statistics and Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan B Grimm
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Sarah E Plutkis
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Katie L Holland
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Liam Paninski
- Departments of Statistics and Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Luke D Lavis
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Adam E Cohen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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4
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Scheibner C, Ori H, Cohen AE, Vitelli V. Spiking at the edge: Excitability at interfaces in reaction-diffusion systems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2307996120. [PMID: 38215183 PMCID: PMC10801884 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307996120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Excitable media, ranging from bioelectric tissues and chemical oscillators to forest fires and competing populations, are nonlinear, spatially extended systems capable of spiking. Most investigations of excitable media consider situations where the amplifying and suppressing forces necessary for spiking coexist at every point in space. In this case, spikes arise due to local bistabilities, which require a fine-tuned ratio between local amplification and suppression strengths. But, in nature and engineered systems, these forces can be segregated in space, forming structures like interfaces and boundaries. Here, we show how boundaries can generate and protect spiking when the reacting components can spread out: Even arbitrarily weak diffusion can cause spiking at the edge between two non-excitable media. This edge spiking arises due to a global bistability, which can occur even if amplification and suppression strengths do not allow spiking when mixed. We analytically derive a spiking phase diagram that depends on two parameters: i) the ratio between the system size and the characteristic diffusive length-scale and ii) the ratio between the amplification and suppression strengths. Our analysis explains recent experimental observations of action potentials at the interface between two non-excitable bioelectric tissues. Beyond electrophysiology, we highlight how edge spiking emerges in predator-prey dynamics and in oscillating chemical reactions. Our findings provide a theoretical blueprint for a class of interfacial excitations in reaction-diffusion systems, with potential implications for spatially controlled chemical reactions, nonlinear waveguides and neuromorphic computation, as well as spiking instabilities, such as cardiac arrhythmias, that naturally occur in heterogeneous biological media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Scheibner
- Department of Physics and The James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
- Kadanoff Center for Theoretical Physics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
| | - Hillel Ori
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Adam E. Cohen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Vincenzo Vitelli
- Department of Physics and The James Franck Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
- Kadanoff Center for Theoretical Physics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
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5
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Tian H, Davis HC, Wong-Campos JD, Park P, Fan LZ, Gmeiner B, Begum S, Werley CA, Borja GB, Upadhyay H, Shah H, Jacques J, Qi Y, Parot V, Deisseroth K, Cohen AE. Video-based pooled screening yields improved far-red genetically encoded voltage indicators. Nat Methods 2023; 20:1082-1094. [PMID: 36624211 PMCID: PMC10329731 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01743-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Video-based screening of pooled libraries is a powerful approach for directed evolution of biosensors because it enables selection along multiple dimensions simultaneously from large libraries. Here we develop a screening platform, Photopick, which achieves precise phenotype-activated photoselection over a large field of view (2.3 × 2.3 mm, containing >103 cells, per shot). We used the Photopick platform to evolve archaerhodopsin-derived genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) with improved signal-to-noise ratio (QuasAr6a) and kinetics (QuasAr6b). These GEVIs gave improved signals in cultured neurons and in live mouse brains. By combining targeted in vivo optogenetic stimulation with high-precision voltage imaging, we characterized inhibitory synaptic coupling between individual cortical NDNF (neuron-derived neurotrophic factor) interneurons, and excitatory electrical synapses between individual hippocampal parvalbumin neurons. The QuasAr6 GEVIs are powerful tools for all-optical electrophysiology and the Photopick approach could be adapted to evolve a broad range of biosensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Tian
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hunter C Davis
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - J David Wong-Campos
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Pojeong Park
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Linlin Z Fan
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin Gmeiner
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Shahinoor Begum
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Yitong Qi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Vicente Parot
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MA, USA
| | - Adam E Cohen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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6
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Hazan H, Levin M. Exploring the Behavior of Bioelectric Circuits Using Evolution Heuristic Search. Bioelectricity 2022. [DOI: 10.1089/bioe.2022.0033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hananel Hazan
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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7
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Two-Wavelength Computational Holography for Aberration-Corrected Simultaneous Optogenetic Stimulation and Inhibition of In Vitro Biological Samples. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12052283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetics is a versatile toolset for the functional investigation of excitable cells such as neurons and cardiomyocytes in vivo and in vitro. While monochromatic illumination of these cells for either stimulation or inhibition already enables a wide range of studies, the combination of activation and silencing in one setup facilitates new experimental interrogation protocols. In this work, we present a setup for the simultaneous holographic stimulation and inhibition of multiple cells in vitro. The system is based on two fast ferroelectric liquid crystal spatial light modulators with frame rates of up to 1.7 kHz. Thereby, we are able to illuminate up to about 50 single spots with better than cellular resolution and without crosstalk, perfectly suited for refined network analysis schemes. System-inherent aberrations are corrected by applying an iterative optimization scheme based on Zernike polynomials. These are superposed on the same spatial light modulators that display the pattern-generating holograms, hence no further adaptive optical elements are needed for aberration correction. A near-diffraction-limited spatial resolution is achieved over the whole field of view, enabling subcellular optogenetic experiments by just choosing an appropriate microscope objective. The setup can pave the way for a multitude of optogenetic experiments, in particular with cardiomyocytes and neural networks.
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8
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Bloxham W, Brinks D, Kheifets S, Cohen AE. Linearly polarized excitation enhances signals from fluorescent voltage indicators. Biophys J 2021; 120:5333-5342. [PMID: 34710379 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Voltage imaging in cells requires high-speed recording of small fluorescent signals, often leading to low signal/noise ratios. Because voltage indicators are membrane bound, their orientations are partially constrained by the plane of the membrane. We explored whether tuning the linear polarization of excitation light could enhance voltage indicator fluorescence. We tested a panel of dye- and protein-based voltage indicators in mammalian cells. The dye BeRST1 showed a 73% increase in brightness between the least and most favorable polarizations. The protein-based reporter ASAP1 showed a 22% increase in brightness, and QuasAr3 showed a 14% increase in brightness. In very thin neurites expressing QuasAr3, improvements were anomalously large, with a 170% increase in brightness between polarization parallel versus perpendicular to the dendrite. Signal/noise ratios of optically recorded action potentials were increased by up to 50% in neurites expressing QuasAr3. These results demonstrate that polarization control can be a facile means to enhance signals from fluorescent voltage indicators, particularly in thin neurites or in high-background environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Bloxham
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Daan Brinks
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Department of Imaging Physics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands; Department of Molecular Genetics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Simon Kheifets
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Adam E Cohen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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9
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Cell Systems Bioelectricity: How Different Intercellular Gap Junctions Could Regionalize a Multicellular Aggregate. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13215300. [PMID: 34771463 PMCID: PMC8582473 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Electric potential distributions can act as instructive pre-patterns for development, regeneration, and tumorigenesis in cell systems. The biophysical states influence transcription, proliferation, cell shape, migration, and differentiation through biochemical and biomechanical downstream transduction processes. A major knowledge gap is the origin of spatial patterns in vivo, and their relationship to the ion channels and the electrical synapses known as gap junctions. Understanding this is critical for basic evolutionary developmental biology as well as for regenerative medicine. We computationally show that cells may express connexin proteins with different voltage-gated gap junction conductances as a way to maintain multicellular regions at distinct membrane potentials. We show that increasing the multicellular connectivity via enhanced junction function does not always contribute to the bioelectrical normalization of abnormally depolarized multicellular patches. From a purely electrical junction view, this result suggests that the reduction rather than the increase of specific connexin levels can also be a suitable bioelectrical approach in some cases and time stages. We offer a minimum model that incorporates effective conductances ultimately related to specific ion channel and junction proteins that are amenable to external regulation. We suggest that the bioelectrical patterns and their encoded instructive information can be externally modulated by acting on the mean fields of cell systems, a complementary approach to that of acting on the molecular characteristics of individual cells. We believe that despite the limitations of a biophysically focused model, our approach can offer useful qualitative insights into the collective dynamics of cell system bioelectricity.
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10
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Grodstein J, Levin M. Stability and robustness properties of bioelectric networks: A computational approach. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2021; 2:031305. [PMID: 38505634 PMCID: PMC10903393 DOI: 10.1063/5.0062442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Morphogenesis during development and regeneration requires cells to communicate and cooperate toward the construction of complex anatomical structures. One important set of mechanisms for coordinating growth and form occurs via developmental bioelectricity-the dynamics of cellular networks driving changes of resting membrane potential which interface with transcriptional and biomechanical downstream cascades. While many molecular details have been elucidated about the instructive processes mediated by ion channel-dependent signaling outside of the nervous system, future advances in regenerative medicine and bioengineering require the understanding of tissue, organ, or whole body-level properties. A key aspect of bioelectric networks is their robustness, which can drive correct, invariant patterning cues despite changing cell number and anatomical configuration of the underlying tissue network. Here, we computationally analyze the minimal models of bioelectric networks and use the example of the regenerating planarian flatworm, to reveal important system-level aspects of bioelectrically derived patterns. These analyses promote an understanding of the robustness of circuits controlling regeneration and suggest design properties that can be exploited for synthetic bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Grodstein
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
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11
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Chua CJ, Han JL, Li W, Liu W, Entcheva E. Integration of Engineered "Spark-Cell" Spheroids for Optical Pacing of Cardiac Tissue. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:658594. [PMID: 34222210 PMCID: PMC8249938 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.658594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Optogenetic methods for pacing of cardiac tissue can be realized by direct genetic modification of the cardiomyocytes to express light-sensitive actuators, such as channelrhodopsin-2, ChR2, or by introduction of light-sensitized non-myocytes that couple to the cardiac cells and yield responsiveness to optical pacing. In this study, we engineer three-dimensional “spark cells” spheroids, composed of ChR2-expressing human embryonic kidney cells (from 100 to 100,000 cells per spheroid), and characterize their morphology as function of cell density and time. These “spark-cell” spheroids are then deployed to demonstrate site-specific optical pacing of human stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) in 96-well format using non-localized light application and all-optical electrophysiology with voltage and calcium small-molecule dyes or genetically encoded sensors. We show that the spheroids can be handled using liquid pipetting and can confer optical responsiveness of cardiac tissue earlier than direct viral or liposomal genetic modification of the cardiomyocytes, with 24% providing reliable stimulation of the iPSC-CMs within 6 h and >80% within 24 h. Moreover, our data show that the spheroids can be frozen in liquid nitrogen for long-term storage and transportation, after which they can be deployed as a reagent on site for optical cardiac pacing. In all cases, optical stimulation was achieved at relatively low light levels (<0.15 mW/mm2) when 5 ms or longer pulses were used. Our results demonstrate a scalable, cost-effective method with a cryopreservable reagent to achieve contactless optical stimulation of cardiac cell constructs without genetically modifying the myocytes, that can be integrated in a robotics-amenable workflow for high-throughput drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christianne J Chua
- Cardiac Optogenetics & Optical Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Julie L Han
- Cardiac Optogenetics & Optical Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Weizhen Li
- Cardiac Optogenetics & Optical Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Wei Liu
- Cardiac Optogenetics & Optical Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Emilia Entcheva
- Cardiac Optogenetics & Optical Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
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12
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Bioelectric signaling: Reprogrammable circuits underlying embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer. Cell 2021; 184:1971-1989. [PMID: 33826908 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.02.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
How are individual cell behaviors coordinated toward invariant large-scale anatomical outcomes in development and regeneration despite unpredictable perturbations? Endogenous distributions of membrane potentials, produced by ion channels and gap junctions, are present across all tissues. These bioelectrical networks process morphogenetic information that controls gene expression, enabling cell collectives to make decisions about large-scale growth and form. Recent progress in the analysis and computational modeling of developmental bioelectric circuits and channelopathies reveals how cellular collectives cooperate toward organ-level structural order. These advances suggest a roadmap for exploiting bioelectric signaling for interventions addressing developmental disorders, regenerative medicine, cancer reprogramming, and synthetic bioengineering.
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13
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Pezzulo G, LaPalme J, Durant F, Levin M. Bistability of somatic pattern memories: stochastic outcomes in bioelectric circuits underlying regeneration. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190765. [PMID: 33550952 PMCID: PMC7935058 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Nervous systems' computational abilities are an evolutionary innovation, specializing and speed-optimizing ancient biophysical dynamics. Bioelectric signalling originated in cells' communication with the outside world and with each other, enabling cooperation towards adaptive construction and repair of multicellular bodies. Here, we review the emerging field of developmental bioelectricity, which links the field of basal cognition to state-of-the-art questions in regenerative medicine, synthetic bioengineering and even artificial intelligence. One of the predictions of this view is that regeneration and regulative development can restore correct large-scale anatomies from diverse starting states because, like the brain, they exploit bioelectric encoding of distributed goal states-in this case, pattern memories. We propose a new interpretation of recent stochastic regenerative phenotypes in planaria, by appealing to computational models of memory representation and processing in the brain. Moreover, we discuss novel findings showing that bioelectric changes induced in planaria can be stored in tissue for over a week, thus revealing that somatic bioelectric circuits in vivo can implement a long-term, re-writable memory medium. A consideration of the mechanisms, evolution and functionality of basal cognition makes novel predictions and provides an integrative perspective on the evolution, physiology and biomedicine of information processing in vivo. This article is part of the theme issue 'Basal cognition: multicellularity, neurons and the cognitive lens'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Joshua LaPalme
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Fallon Durant
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
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14
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Abstract
The electromechanical function of the heart involves complex, coordinated activity over time and space. Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias arise from asynchrony in these space-time events; therefore, therapies for prevention and treatment require fundamental understanding and the ability to visualize, perturb and control cardiac activity. Optogenetics combines optical and molecular biology (genetic) approaches for light-enabled sensing and actuation of electrical activity with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution and parallelism. The year 2020 marks a decade of developments in cardiac optogenetics since this technology was adopted from neuroscience and applied to the heart. In this Review, we appraise a decade of advances that define near-term (immediate) translation based on all-optical electrophysiology, including high-throughput screening, cardiotoxicity testing and personalized medicine assays, and long-term (aspirational) prospects for clinical translation of cardiac optogenetics, including new optical therapies for rhythm control. The main translational opportunities and challenges for optogenetics to be fully embraced in cardiology are also discussed.
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15
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Life, death, and self: Fundamental questions of primitive cognition viewed through the lens of body plasticity and synthetic organisms. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 564:114-133. [PMID: 33162026 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.10.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Central to the study of cognition is being able to specify the Subject that is making decisions and owning memories and preferences. However, all real cognitive agents are made of parts (such as brains made of cells). The integration of many active subunits into a coherent Self appearing at a larger scale of organization is one of the fundamental questions of evolutionary cognitive science. Typical biological model systems, whether basal or advanced, have a static anatomical structure which obscures important aspects of the mind-body relationship. Recent advances in bioengineering now make it possible to assemble, disassemble, and recombine biological structures at the cell, organ, and whole organism levels. Regenerative biology and controlled chimerism reveal that studies of cognition in intact, "standard", evolved animal bodies are just a narrow slice of a much bigger and as-yet largely unexplored reality: the incredible plasticity of dynamic morphogenesis of biological forms that house and support diverse types of cognition. The ability to produce living organisms in novel configurations makes clear that traditional concepts, such as body, organism, genetic lineage, death, and memory are not as well-defined as commonly thought, and need considerable revision to account for the possible spectrum of living entities. Here, I review fascinating examples of experimental biology illustrating that the boundaries demarcating somatic and cognitive Selves are fluid, providing an opportunity to sharpen inquiries about how evolution exploits physical forces for multi-scale cognition. Developmental (pre-neural) bioelectricity contributes a novel perspective on how the dynamic control of growth and form of the body evolved into sophisticated cognitive capabilities. Most importantly, the development of functional biobots - synthetic living machines with behavioral capacity - provides a roadmap for greatly expanding our understanding of the origin and capacities of cognition in all of its possible material implementations, especially those that emerge de novo, with no lengthy evolutionary history of matching behavioral programs to bodyplan. Viewing fundamental questions through the lens of new, constructed living forms will have diverse impacts, not only in basic evolutionary biology and cognitive science, but also in regenerative medicine of the brain and in artificial intelligence.
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16
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Pai VP, Cervera J, Mafe S, Willocq V, Lederer EK, Levin M. HCN2 Channel-Induced Rescue of Brain Teratogenesis via Local and Long-Range Bioelectric Repair. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:136. [PMID: 32528251 PMCID: PMC7264377 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic exposure to the teratogen nicotine results in brain defects, by disrupting endogenous spatial pre patterns necessary for normal brain size and patterning. Extending prior work in Xenopus laevis that showed that misexpression of ion channels can rescue morphogenesis, we demonstrate and characterize a novel aspect of developmental bioelectricity: channel-dependent repair signals propagate long-range across the embryo. We show that distal HCN2 channel misexpression and distal transplants of HCN2-expressing tissue, non-cell-autonomously reverse profound defects, rescuing brain anatomy, gene expression, and learning. Moreover, such rescue can be induced by small-molecule HCN2 channel activators, even with delayed treatment initiation. We present a simple, versatile computational model of bioelectrical signaling upstream of key patterning genes such as OTX2 and XBF1, which predicts long-range repair induced by ion channel activity, and experimentally validate the predictions of this model. Our results and quantitative model identify a powerful morphogenetic control mechanism that could be targeted by future regenerative medicine exploiting ion channel modulating drugs approved for human use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav P Pai
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Javier Cervera
- Departament de Termodinamica, Facultat de Fisica, Universitat de Valencia, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Salvador Mafe
- Departament de Termodinamica, Facultat de Fisica, Universitat de Valencia, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Valerie Willocq
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Emma K Lederer
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States.,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States
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17
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Cervera J, Levin M, Mafe S. Bioelectrical Coupling of Single-Cell States in Multicellular Systems. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:3234-3241. [PMID: 32243754 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c00641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The spatiotemporal distributions of signaling ions and molecules that modulate biochemical pathways in nonexcitable cells are influenced by multicellular electric potentials. These potentials act as distributed controllers encoding instructive spatial patterns in development and regeneration. We review experimental facts and discuss recent bioelectrical models that provide new physical insights and complement biochemical approaches. Single-cell states are modulated at the multicellular level because of the coupling between neighboring cells, thus allowing memories and multicellular patterns. The model is based on (i) two generic voltage-gated ion channels that promote the polarized and depolarized cell states, (ii) a feedback mechanism for the transcriptional and bioelectrical regulations, and (iii) voltage-gated intercellular conductances that allow a dynamic intercellular connectivity. The simulations provide steady-state and oscillatory multicellular states that help explain aspects of development and guide experimental procedures attempting to establish instructive bioelectrical patterns based on electric potentials and currents to regulate cell behavior and morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cervera
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Michael Levin
- Dept. of Biology and Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155-4243, United States
| | - Salvador Mafe
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain
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18
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McNamara HM, Salegame R, Al Tanoury Z, Xu H, Begum S, Ortiz G, Pourquie O, Cohen AE. Bioelectrical domain walls in homogeneous tissues. NATURE PHYSICS 2020; 16:357-364. [PMID: 33790984 PMCID: PMC8008956 DOI: 10.1038/s41567-019-0765-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Electrical signaling in biology is typically associated with action potentials, transient spikes in membrane voltage that return to baseline. Hodgkin-Huxley and related conductance-based models of electrophysiology belong to a more general class of reaction-diffusion equations which could, in principle, support spontaneous emergence of patterns of membrane voltage which are stable in time but structured in space. Here we show theoretically and experimentally that homogeneous or nearly homogeneous tissues can undergo spontaneous spatial symmetry breaking through a purely electrophysiological mechanism, leading to formation of domains with different resting potentials separated by stable bioelectrical domain walls. Transitions from one resting potential to another can occur through long-range migration of these domain walls. We map bioelectrical domain wall motion using all-optical electrophysiology in an engineered cell line and in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived myoblasts. Bioelectrical domain wall migration may occur during embryonic development and during physiological signaling processes in polarized tissues. These results demonstrate that nominally homogeneous tissues can undergo spontaneous bioelectrical symmetry breaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold M. McNamara
- Department of Physics, Harvard University
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
| | - Rajath Salegame
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
| | - Ziad Al Tanoury
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
| | - Haitan Xu
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
- Current address: State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Frontiers Science Center for Nano-optoelectronics, School of Physics, Peking University
| | - Shahinoor Begum
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
| | - Gloria Ortiz
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley
| | - Olivier Pourquie
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
| | - Adam E. Cohen
- Department of Physics, Harvard University
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Correspondence:
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19
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Levin M, Selberg J, Rolandi M. Endogenous Bioelectrics in Development, Cancer, and Regeneration: Drugs and Bioelectronic Devices as Electroceuticals for Regenerative Medicine. iScience 2019; 22:519-533. [PMID: 31837520 PMCID: PMC6920204 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.11.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A major frontier in the post-genomic era is the investigation of the control of coordinated growth and three-dimensional form. Dynamic remodeling of complex organs in regulative embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer reveals that cells and tissues make decisions that implement complex anatomical outcomes. It is now essential to understand not only the genetics that specifies cellular hardware but also the physiological software that implements tissue-level plasticity and robust morphogenesis. Here, we review recent discoveries about the endogenous mechanisms of bioelectrical communication among non-neural cells that enables them to cooperate in vivo. We discuss important advances in bioelectronics, as well as computational and pharmacological tools that are enabling the taming of biophysical controls toward applications in regenerative medicine and synthetic bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
| | - John Selberg
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Marco Rolandi
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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20
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Biendarra-Tiegs SM, Clemens DJ, Secreto FJ, Nelson TJ. Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Non-Cardiomyocytes Modulate Cardiac Electrophysiological Maturation Through Connexin 43-Mediated Cell-Cell Interactions. Stem Cells Dev 2019; 29:75-89. [PMID: 31744402 PMCID: PMC6978788 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2019.0098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The functional maturation status of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) has a notable impact upon their use in pharmacological studies, disease modeling, and therapeutic applications. Non-cardiomyocytes (non-CMs) produced in the differentiation process have previously been identified as having an extrinsic influence upon hiPSC-CM development, yet the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Herein, we aimed to modulate electrophysiological properties of hiPSC-CMs within co-cultures containing varied proportions of non-CMs and investigate the nature of interactions between these different cell types. Therefore, we sorted cardiac differentiations on day 10 and subsequently replated the cells at ratios of 7:3, 1:1, 3:7, and 1:9 non-CMs to CMs. After a month of co-culture, we evaluated electrophysiological properties through the genetically encoded voltage indicator ArcLight. We ultimately identified that co-cultures with approximately 70%–90% CM purity demonstrated the highest action potential (AP) amplitude and maximum upstroke velocity by day 40 of differentiation, indicative of enhanced electrophysiological maturation, as well as more ventricular-like AP morphologies. Notably, these findings were distinct from those observed for co-cultures of hiPSC-CMs and dermal fibroblasts. We determined that the co-culture phenotypes could not be attributed to paracrine effects of non-CMs due to the inability of conditioned media to recapitulate the observed effects. This led to the further observation of a distinctive expression pattern of connexin 43 (Cx43) at cell-cell interfaces between both CMs and non-CMs. Depletion of Cx43 by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) specifically in the non-CM population within a co-culture environment was able to recapitulate electrophysiological phenotypes of a purer hiPSC-CM population. Collectively, our data demonstrate that abundant non-CM content exerts a significant negative influence upon the electrophysiological maturation of hiPSC-CMs through Cx43-mediated cell-cell-contacts, and thus should be considered regarding the future production of purpose-built hiPSC-CM systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherri M Biendarra-Tiegs
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.,Center for Regenerative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Daniel J Clemens
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Frank J Secreto
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Timothy J Nelson
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.,Center for Regenerative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.,Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.,Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
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21
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Toward Decoding Bioelectric Events in Xenopus Embryogenesis: New Methodology for Tracking Interplay Between Calcium and Resting Potentials In Vivo. J Mol Biol 2019; 432:605-620. [PMID: 31711960 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Although chemical signaling during embryogenesis is readily addressed by a plethora of available techniques, the developmental functions of ionic signaling are still poorly understood. It is increasingly realized that bioelectric events in nonneural cells are critical for pattern regulation, but their study has been hampered by difficulties in monitoring and manipulating them in vivo. Recent developments in visualizing electrical signaling dynamics in the field of neuroscience have facilitated functional experiments that reveal instructive developmental bioelectric signals. However, there is a pressing need for additional tools to explore time-dependent ionic signaling to understand complex endogenous dynamics. Here, we present methodological advances, including 4D imaging and data analysis, for improved tracking of calcium flux in the Xenopus laevis embryo, lowering the barrier for in vivo physiology work in this important model system. Using these techniques, we investigated the relationship between bioelectric ion channel activity and calcium, finding that cell hyperpolarization and depolarization both induce persistent static elevation of cytoplasmic calcium levels that fade over developmental time. These calcium changes correlate with increased cell mobility in early embryos and abnormal craniofacial morphology in later embryos. We thus highlight membrane potential modulation as a tractable tool for modulation of signaling cascades that rely on calcium as a transduction mechanism. The methods we describe facilitate the study of important novel aspects of developmental physiology, are extendable to numerous classes of existing and forthcoming fluorescent physiological reporters, and establish highly accessible, inexpensive protocols for their investigation.
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22
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Cervera J, Pai VP, Levin M, Mafe S. From non-excitable single-cell to multicellular bioelectrical states supported by ion channels and gap junction proteins: Electrical potentials as distributed controllers. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 149:39-53. [PMID: 31255702 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2019.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Endogenous bioelectric patterns within tissues are an important driver of morphogenesis and a tractable component of a number of disease states. Developing system-level understanding of the dynamics by which non-neural bioelectric circuits regulate complex downstream cascades is a key step towards both, an evolutionary understanding of ion channel genes, and novel strategies in regenerative medicine. An important capability gap is deriving rational modulation strategies targeting individual cells' bioelectric states to achieve global (tissue- or organ-level) outcomes. Here, we develop an ion channel-based model that describes multicellular states on the basis of spatio-temporal patterns of electrical potentials in aggregates of non-excitable cells. The model is of biological interest because modern techniques allow to associate bioelectrical signals with specific ion channel proteins in the cell membrane that are central to embryogenesis, regeneration, and tumorigenesis. As a complementary approach to the usual biochemical description, we have studied four biophysical questions: (i) how can single-cell bioelectrical states be established; (ii) how can a change in the cell potential caused by a transient perturbation of the cell state be maintained after the stimulus is gone (bioelectrical memory); (iii) how can a single-cell contribute to the control of multicellular ensembles based on the spatio-temporal pattern of electrical potentials; and (iv) how can oscillatory patterns arise from the single-cell bioelectrical dynamics. Experimentally, endogenous bioelectric gradients have emerged as instructive agents for morphogenetic processes. In this context, the simulations can guide new procedures that may allow a distributed control of the multicellular ensemble.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cervera
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Universitat de València, E-46100, Burjassot, Spain.
| | - Vaibhav P Pai
- Dept. of Biology and Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155-4243, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Dept. of Biology and Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155-4243, USA
| | - Salvador Mafe
- Dept. Termodinàmica, Universitat de València, E-46100, Burjassot, Spain
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23
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Cervera J, Manzanares JA, Mafe S, Levin M. Synchronization of Bioelectric Oscillations in Networks of Nonexcitable Cells: From Single-Cell to Multicellular States. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:3924-3934. [PMID: 31003574 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b01717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Biological networks use collective oscillations for information processing tasks. In particular, oscillatory membrane potentials have been observed in nonexcitable cells and bacterial communities where specific ion channel proteins contribute to the bioelectric coordination of large populations. We aim at describing theoretically the oscillatory spatiotemporal patterns that emerge at the multicellular level from the single-cell bioelectric dynamics. To this end, we focus on two key questions: (i) What single-cell properties are relevant to multicellular behavior? (ii) What properties defined at the multicellular level can allow an external control of the bioelectric dynamics? In particular, we explore the interplay between transcriptional and translational dynamics and membrane potential dynamics in a model multicellular ensemble, describe the spatiotemporal patterns that arise when the average electric potential allows groups of cells to act as a coordinated multicellular patch, and characterize the resulting synchronization phenomena. The simulations concern bioelectric networks and collective communication across different scales based on oscillatory and synchronization phenomena, thus shedding light on the physiological dynamics of a wide range of endogenous contexts across embryogenesis and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cervera
- Departament de Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física , Universitat de València , E-46100 Burjassot , Spain
| | - José Antonio Manzanares
- Departament de Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física , Universitat de València , E-46100 Burjassot , Spain
| | - Salvador Mafe
- Departament de Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física , Universitat de València , E-46100 Burjassot , Spain
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Department of Biology , Tufts University Medford , Massachusetts 02155-4243 , United States
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