Boolean gates on actin filaments

Actin is a globular protein which forms long polar filaments in the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Actin networks play a key role in cell mechanics and cell motility. They have also been implicated in information transmission and processing, memory and learning in neuronal cells. The acting filaments have been shown to support propagation of voltage pulses. Here we apply a coupled nonlinear transmission line model of actin filaments to study interactions between voltage pulses. By assigning a logical {\sc Truth} to the presence of a voltage pulses in a given location of the actin filament, and {\sc False} to the pulse's absence we represent digital information transmission along these filaments. When two pulses, representing Boolean values of input variables, interact, then they can facilitate or inhibit further propagation of each other. We explore this phenomenon to construct Boolean logical gates and a one-bit half-adder with interacting voltage pulses. We discuss implications of these findings on cellular process and technological applications.

[1]  Jack A. Tuszynski,et al.  Cytoskeletal Signaling: Is Memory Encoded in Microtubule Lattices by CaMKII Phosphorylation? , 2012, PLoS Comput. Biol..

[2]  Jian Wang,et al.  Weakly Nonlinear AC Response: Theory and Application , 1997, cond-mat/9712060.

[3]  Jack A. Tuszynski,et al.  Electrodynamic Signaling by the Dendritic Cytoskeleton: Toward an Intracellular Information Processing Model , 2005 .

[4]  Laurent Jaeken,et al.  A new list of functions of the cytoskeleton , 2007, IUBMB life.

[5]  Fumihiko Nakamura,et al.  Structural basis of filamin A functions , 2007, The Journal of cell biology.

[6]  Leif Dehmelt,et al.  Actin and microtubules in neurite initiation: are MAPs the missing link? , 2004, Journal of neurobiology.

[7]  Andrew Adamatzky,et al.  Collision-Based Computing In Biopolymers And Their Automata Models , 2000 .

[8]  Matthew J. Rosseinsky,et al.  Physical Review B , 2011 .

[9]  J. Gimzewski,et al.  Electronics using hybrid-molecular and mono-molecular devices , 2000, Nature.

[10]  Caroline Dart,et al.  Direct Interaction between the Actin-binding Protein Filamin-A and the Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channel, Kir2.1* , 2003, Journal of Biological Chemistry.

[11]  J. Nadal,et al.  International Journal of Modern Physics C C World Scientiic Publishing Company Neural Networks as Optimal Information Processors , 1994 .

[12]  S. Lowen.  The Biophysical Journal , 1960, Nature.

[13]  Andrew Adamatzky,et al.  Quantum Actin Automata and Three-Valued Logics , 2016, IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems.

[14]  F. S. Prout.  Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London , 2009, The London Medical Journal.

[15]  H. Cantiello,et al.  A novel method to study the electrodynamic behavior of actin filaments. Evidence for cable-like properties of actin. , 1993, Biophysical journal.

[16]  D. Debanne.  Information processing in the axon , 2004, Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

[17]  Y. Goda,et al.  Actin in action: the interplay between the actin cytoskeleton and synaptic efficacy , 2008, Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

[18]  H. Cantiello,et al.  Ionic wave propagation along actin filaments. , 2004, Biophysical journal.

[19]  Herbert Tabor,et al.  Journal of Biological Chemistry and Protein Crystallization Papers , 1991, Science.

[20]  H. Cantiello,et al.  Role of actin filament organization in cell volume and ion channel regulation. , 1997, The Journal of experimental zoology.

[21]  Avner Priel,et al.  A biopolymer transistor: electrical amplification by microtubules. , 2006, Biophysical journal.

[22]  T. Schubert,et al.  Actin filaments regulate voltage-gated ion channels in salamander retinal ganglion cells , 2004, Neuroscience.

[23]  J. Tuszynski.  The emerging physics of consciousness , 2006 .

[24]  T D Pollard,et al.  Evidence for actin filament-microtubule interaction mediated by microtubule-associated proteins , 1978, The Journal of cell biology.

[25]  Jack A. Tuszynski,et al.  Neural cytoskeleton capabilities for learning and memory , 2009, Journal of biological physics.

[26]  廣瀬雄一,et al.  Neuroscience , 2019, Workplace Attachments.

[27]  Jack A. Tuszynski,et al.  The Dendritic Cytoskeleton as a Computational Device: An Hypothesis , 2006 .

[28]  Jian Wang,et al.  Nonlinear quantum capacitance , 1999 .

[29]  R. Rosenfeld.  Nature , 2009, Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

[30]  David Crews.  Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology. Editorial. , 2014, Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological genetics and physiology.

[31]  P. Hawrylak,et al.  Dielectric polarization, electrical conduction, information processing and quantum computation in microtubules. Are they plausible? , 1998, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[32]  Andrew Adamatzky,et al.  Actin quantum automata: Communication and computation in molecular networks , 2015, Nano Commun. Networks.

[33]  T D Pollard,et al.  Regulation of actin filament network formation through ARP2/3 complex: activation by a diverse array of proteins. , 2001, Annual review of biochemistry.

[34]  Y. Goda,et al.  The actin cytoskeleton: integrating form and function at the synapse. , 2005, Annual review of neuroscience.

[35]  E. F. ARMSTRONG,et al.  Annual Review of Biochemistry , 1944, Nature.