Summary
The electrical coupling of epithelial cells of the intestine of chick embryo cultured in monolayers was studied. This coupling can be evaluated by regarding the monolayer as a honeycomb structure of cells and the cells as equipotential spaces, as long as the cells are small (diameter <25μm). With help of this discrete model it was found that for the non-junctional membrane the membrane resistance isϱ m =250−2,000 Ω cm2, and for the junctional membraneϱ m =5−50 Ω cm2. In addition to this discrete model, a continuous model was also considered and good agreement between the two descriptions was found. With the aid of the continuous model, a value for the non-junctional membrane capacitance (C m ) was obtained: 5–50 μF/cm2. The electrical values are not corrected for membrane folding, microvilli and the like. Tentative corrections based on electron microscopy suggest: 1,000 <ϱ m < 10,000 Ω cm2, 10 <ϱ m < 100 Ω cm2, 1<C m < 10 μF/cm2
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramowitz, M., Stegun, I. A. 1964 Handbook of Mathematical Functions, National Bureau of Standards, Washington D. C.
Bennet, M. V. L. 1966. Physiology of electrotonic junctions.Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 137:509.
Borek, C., Higashino, S., Loewenstein, W. R. 1970. Intercellular communication and tissue growth: IV: Conductance of membrane junctions of normal and cancerous cells in culture.J. Membrane Biol. 1:274.
Furshpan, E. J. 1964. “Electrical transmission” at an excitatory synapse in a vertebrate brain.Science 144:878.
Furshpan, E. J., Potter, D. D. 1959. Transmission at the giant motor synapses of the crayfish.J. Physiol. 145:289.
Furshpan, E. J., Potter, D. D. 1968. Low resistance junctions between cells in embryos and tissue culture.Current Topics in Devel. Biol. 3:95.
Hyde, A., Blondel, B., Matter, A., Cheneval, J., Filloux, J. P., Girardier, L. 1969. Homo- and heterocellular junctions in cell cultures.Progr. Brain Res. 31:283.
Ito, S., Hori, N. 1966. Electrical characteristics ofTriturus egg cells during cleavage.J. Gen. Physiol. 49:1019.
Ito, S., Loewenstein, W. R. 1969. Ionic communication between early embryonic cells.Devel. Biol. 19:228.
Loewenstein, W. R. 1966. Permeability of membrane junctions.Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 137:441.
Loewenstein, W. R. 1968. Communication through cell junctions. Implications in growth control and differentiation.J. Devel. Biol. Suppl. 2:151.
Mendez, C., Mueller, W. J., Urguiaga, X. 1970. Propagation of impulses across Purkinje fiber-muscle junctions in dog heart.Circulation Res. 26:135.
Noble, D. 1962. The voltage dependence of the cardiac membrane conductance.Biophys. J. 2:381.
Noble, D. 1966. Applications of Hodgkin Huxley equations to excitable tissues.Physiol. Rev. 46:1.
O'Lague, P., Dalen, H., Rubin, H., Tobias, C. 1970. Electrical coupling: Low resistance junctions between mitotic and interphase fibroblasts in tissue culture.Science 170:464.
Penn, R. D. 1966. Ionic communication between liver cells.J. Cell. Biol. 29:171.
Potter, D. D., Furshpan, E. J., Lennox, E. S. 1966. Connections between cells of the developing squid as revealed by electrophysiological methods.Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 55:328.
Revel, J. P., Sheridan, J. D. 1968. Electrophysiological and ultrastructural studies of intercellular junctions in brown fat.J. Physiol. 194:34P.
Schanne, O. F. 1969. Measurement of cytoplasmic resistivity by means of the glass microelectrode.In: Glass Microelectrodes. M. Lavallée, O. F. Schanne and N. C. Hébert, editors, p. 299. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York.
Sheridan, J. D. 1968. Electrophysiological evidence for low resistance intercellular junctions in the early chick embryo.J. Cell. Biol. 37:650.
Siegenbeek van Heukelom, J., Denier van der Gon, J. J., Prop, F. J. A. 1970. Epithelial monolayers: A study object for cell communication.Biophys. Biochem. Acta 211:98.
Spitzer, N. C. 1970. Low-resistance connections between cells in the developing anther of the lily.J. Cell. Biol. 45:565.
Tomita, T. 1970. Electrical properties of mammalian smooth muscle.In: Smooth Muscle. E. Bülbring, A. F. Brading, A. W. Jones, and T. Tomita, editors. p. 197. William Clowes and Sons, London.
Walker, F. D., Hild, W. J. 1969. Neuroglia electrically coupled to neurons.Science 165:602.
Weidmann, S. 1966 The diffusion of radiopotassium across intercalated disks of mammalian cardiac muscle.J. Physiol. 187:323.
Weidmann, S. 1970. Electrical constants of trabecular muscle from mammalian heart.J. Physiol. 210:1041.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Siegenbeek van Heukelom, J., Denier van der Gon, J.J. & Prop, F.J.A. Model approaches for evaluation of cell coupling in monolayers. J. Membrain Biol. 7, 88–110 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867910
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867910