Loading...
2 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- Intermediate filaments are natural energy conductors in live cellsPublication . Khmelinskii, Igor; Makarov, VladimirTwo possible mechanisms describing intra-and inter-cell energy transfer in biological systems were analyzed. The first one is based on Davydov vibration soliton (DVS) theory, implying C=O vibrational energy transfer along alpha-helix polypeptides. According to Davydov, a certain vibration of one of the C=O groups somehow receives the entirety of ATP hydrolysis energy within an enzyme molecule. Next, dipole-dipole interactions of the C=O groups of neighboring amino acid residues should ensure propagation of the DVS along the polypeptide chain, transporting it to the site of catalytic reaction. Strong limitations of this theory when applied to energy transfer in living systems were underlined, accompanied by total lack of experimental evidence of DVS existence. The second, much more viable mechanism, based on electronic excited state (exciton) propagation along individual protein molecules and their assemblies - intermediate filaments (IFs) - was considered and discussed in detail. Excitons in IFs may be generated by photon absorption or by ATP hydrolysis energy transfer to IFs. Infrared (IR) excitons were generated in the latter case, which propagated along IFs, enabling energy transfer within and between cells, and inter-cellular communications. Earlier is has been noted that high-contrast vision of vertebrates is based on photon energy propagation along Muller cell (MC) IFs in the form of excitons, from the inner limiting membrane retinal layer to the outer fragments of cone cells, located in the outer limiting membrane retinal layer. Therefore, MC IFs operate as photon energy guides, transferring excitons from MC to cone cells, and thus communicating external visual information to the retinal cones and the brain. We finally conclude that apparently the mechanism based on the properties of IFs as natural energy guides plays the main role in communications within and between cells of live organisms.
- Effects of pulsed electric fields on exciton propagation efficiency along Müller cell intermediate filaments. Possible separation mechanism of high- and low-contrast images by the eye-brain systemPublication . Khmelinskii, Igor; Makarov, Vladimir I.In the current study, we tested a possible mechanism of low-and high-contrast image component discrimination by the vertebrate eye-brain system. Apparently the eye-brain system has to discriminate between the low-contrast image component formed by light scattered within the retina, due to interaction of photons with cells and their parts, and the high-contrast image component transmitted by excitons via the quantum mechanism. Presently, effects of pulsed electric fields applied to Muller cell (MC) intermediate filaments (IFs) on the efficiency of exciton propagation were explored. The effects of both pulse duration and amplitude were recorded. These experimental results show that the eye-brain system may be using signal modulation to discriminate between high-and low-contrast image components, improving our understanding of high-contrast vision in vertebrates.