Endogenous electric fields as guiding cue for cell migration

Abstract

This review covers two topics: (1) “membrane potential of low magnitude and related electric fields (bioelectricity)” and (2) “cell migration under the guiding cue of electric fields (EF).”Membrane potentials for this “bioelectricity” arise from the segregation of charges by special molecular machines (pumps, transporters, ion channels) situated within the plasma membrane of each cell type (including eukaryotic non-neural animal cells). The arising patterns of ion gradients direct many cell- and molecular biological processes such as embryogenesis, wound healing, regeneration. Furthermore, EF are important as guiding cues for cell migration and are often overriding chemical or topographic cues. In osteoblasts, for instance, the directional information of EF is captured by charged transporters on the cell membrane and transferred into signaling mechanisms that modulate the cytoskeleton and motor proteins. This results in a persistent directional migration along an EF guiding cue. As an outlook, we discuss questions concerning the fluctuation of EF and the frequencies and mapping of the “electric” interior of the cell. Another exciting topic for further research is the modeling of field concepts for such distant, non-chemical cellular interactions.

Autophagy is required for the directed motility of keratinocytes driven by electric fields

“…After injury, keratinocytes in the local vicinity are instantly exposed to endogenous EFs, which serve as overriding and long-lasting directional signals (9,12,22,23,25). Mounting evidence indicates that electrical signals not only determine the migration direction of multiple cells but also increase migration speed, and keratinocytes are no exception (11)(12)(13)(14)(15).…”

“…In other words, keratinocytes exposed to EFs completely overlook other directional factors and migrate toward the cathode. Thus, EFs are key factors in controlling directionality (22). Endogenous EFs have been a major topic in wound repair research.…”

Environmental Factors That Influence Stem Cell Migration: An “Electric Field”

“…A review by Funk discussed how mammalian cells sense and transduce EFs through calcium influx and Na(+)/H(+) exchangers (NHE3) [58]. The galvanotaxis of cathode-directed osteoblasts, anode-directed osteosarcoma cells, and cathode-directed HEK293 cells were compared and contrasted.…”

Does electromagnetic therapy meet an equivalent counterpart within the organism?

“…These electric field gradients ("bioelectricity") are not only created by small ions but are also driven by larger biomolecules. These charge driven electric fields trigger pathways such as cell signaling, tissue factors, growth hormones, transmitters etc [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Since about ten years from now, new methods like membrane potential-and ion-sensitive in vivo dyes as well as constructs for imaging and molecular tracing are available, allowing a direct observation of the mentioned processes in cells, tissues and living systems.…”