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Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 2, 483-496, Copyright © 1982 by Society for Neuroscience
Orientation of neurite growth by extracellular electric fields
N Patel and MM Poo
Extracellularly applied steady electric fields of 0.1 to 10 V/cm were found
to have marked effects on the neurite growth of single dissociated Xenopus
neurons in culture: (1) neurites facing the cathode showed accelerated
growth, while the growth of those facing the anode was reduced. Neurites
growing relatively perpendicular to the field axis were prompted to curve
toward the cathode. (2) More neurites appeared to be initiate from the
cathodal side of the cell. (3) The number of neurite-bearing neurons per
culture and the average neurite length were increased. These effects are
absent in cultures treated with electric fields of similar strength but
alternating polarity and cannot be attributed either to a gradient of
extracellular diffusible substances or to the flow of culture medium
produced by the field. The field effects are reversible: (1) removal of the
electric field resulted in the loss of neurite orientation in a few hours
and (2) reversal of the polarity of the electric field led to a rapid
reversal in the neurite orientation. To determine the cellular loci of
these field effects, we treated the neurons with a number of
pharmacological agents or altered their ionic environments. Incubation with
concanavalin A (Con A) was found to abolish these filed effects completely.
Since the binding of Con A to the neuronal surface was shown to prevent
field-induced accumulation of the Con A receptors toward the cathodal side
of these neurons, our finding is accumulation of the Con A receptors toward
the cathodal side of these neurons, our finding is consistent with the
notion that cathodal accumulation of growth-controlling surface
glycoproteins by the field is the underlying mechanism of the field-induced
orientation of neurite growth toward the cathode.
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