Virtually all cells use energy-driven, ion-specific membrane pumps to maintain large transmembrane gradients of Na+, K+, Cl−, Mg++, and Ca++, but the corresponding evolutionary benefit remains unclear. We propose that these gradients enable a dynamic and versatile biological system that acquires, analyzes, and responds to environmental information. We hypothesize that environmental signals are transmitted into the cell by ion fluxes along pre-existing gradients through gated ion-specific membrane channels. The consequent changes in cytoplasmic ion concentration can generate a local response or orchestrate global/regional cellular dynamics through wire-like ion fluxes along pre-existing and self-assembling cytoskeleton to engage the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and nucleus.
CITATION STYLE
Niraula, D., El Naqa, I., Tuszynski, J. A., & Gatenby, R. A. (2024). Modeling non-genetic information dynamics in cells using reservoir computing. IScience, 27(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.109614
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