Electromagnetic interactions in regulations of cell behaviors and morphogenesis

" Emerging evidence indicates that the cellular electromagnetic field regulates the fundamental physics of cell biology. The electromagnetic oscillations and synchronization of biomolecules triggered by the internal and external pulses serve as the physical basis of the cellular electromagnetic field. Recent studies have indicated that centrosomes, a small organelle in eukaryotic cells that organize spindle microtubules during mitosis, also function as a nano-electronic generator in cells. Additionally, cellular electromagnetic fields are defined by cell types and correlated to the epigenetic status of the cell. These interactions between tissue-specific electromagnetic fields and chromatin fibers of progenitor cells regulate cell differentiation and organ sizes. The same mechanism is implicated in the regulation of tissue homeostasis and morphological adaptation in evolution. Intercellular electromagnetic interactions also regulate the migratory behaviors of cells and the morphogenesis programs of neural circuits. The process is closely linked with centrosome function and intercellular communication of the electromagnetic fields of microtubule filaments. Clearly, more and more evidence has shown the importance of cellular electromagnetic fields in regulatory processes. Furthermore, a detailed understanding of the physical nature of the inter- and intracellular electromagnetic interactions will better our understanding of fundamental biological questions and a wide range of biological processes." {Credits 1}

" For decades, biologists have been trying to figure out the underlying physical mechanisms for the self-organization of super macromolecules and organelles within a cell, also known as “order from order” (Mentre, 2012). Despite the tremendous progress the field has made in understanding the molecular basis of cellular events in the past decades, a single cell’s omnipotent ability for self-organization, adaptation, and evolution is still a mystery. Cellular consciousness models have emerged to provide wholistic views of cellular electromagnetic interactions within and between the cellular protein complexes, nucleic acids, and transmembrane electric currents (De Loof, 2016; Baluska et al., 2021; Timsit and Gregoire, 2021). Like a nano-brain for the cell, the immaterial and protean nature of such interactions are capable of processing and integrating the vast amounts of environmental cues at nanoscopic scales and eventually orchestrated in the kaleidoscopic programs of transformations in morphogenesis and evolution." {Credits 1}

" Bioelectricity regulated by ion pumps and ion channels, which maintains the membrane potential of cells, also plays important roles in stem cell differentiation and embryo development (Levin, 2021). The crosstalk between transmembrane potentials and intracellular electromagnetic interactions may represent interesting areas of research to unveil this mystery of cells. From the quantum biology point of view, electromagnetic interactions and photonic communications at intracellular and intercellular levels are indispensable for the emerging evolutions of eukaryotic cells and metazoan species (Albrecht-Buehler, 2005; Cantero et al., 2018). Microtubules and chromatin fibers are well-known electromagnetic oscillators in eukaryotic cells (Zhao and Zhan, 2012a; Zhao and Zhan, 2012b; Polesskaya et al., 2018). The centrosome and cilium in eukaryotic cells function as a nano-sized molecular electronic generator that continuously fuels the microtubule network with electric currents, generating the electromagnetic field that facilitates mitosis (Nygren et al., 2020). Chromatin electromagnetic oscillations are triggered by the energy-consuming movements of DNA/RNA polymerases and cytoskeleton electronic pulses transmitted to chromatin fibers through microtubules, which are generated by centrosome and the cytoskeleton bond ATPases (Zhao and Zhan, 2012a; Pliss et al., 2013; Niekamp et al., 2019). These electromagnetic interactions govern a plethora of cellular functionalities from gene transcriptional regulation to tissue morphogenesis." {Credits 1}

" ... the electric current and EMF formed around the centrosome complex are important for the assembly of spindle microtubules in mitosis. When the two distal ends of the mother and daughter centriole rotate around the two proximal ends of the mother and daughter centriole, a coupling EMF is formed in the vector that is perpendicular to the longitudinal section of the mother and daughter centrioles. ... The directional preferences of the spindle body microtubules are also achieved through EMF interaction between the centrosome and the intracellular EMF landscape, which is shaped by the pre-existing cytoskeleton network and chromosomes in the nucleus of a dividing cell (Zhao and Zhan, 2012a; Zhao and Zhan, 2012b)." {Credits 1}

" During embryogenesis, the spatial and temporal proliferation and differentiation of cells result in programmed changes of cellular electromagnetic fields in different parts of the embryo to form organs, in terms of dielectric oscillatory frequencies and bioelectricity of transmembrane potentials (Levin, 2021). The progressed changes of cellular electromagnetic fields of different types of cells within a developing embryo concur with spatial and temporal changes of the subnuclear organizations of chromatin fibers, which further orchestrate the morphogenetic programs of the embryo to regulate the sizes and shapes of organs." {Credits 1}

" Different transcriptional programs are composed of different chromosome clustering and epigenetic states of chromatin fibers in a particular liquid phase. The process is accompanied by changes in subnuclear chromatin organizations (Yuan et al., 2020). These changes further result in alterations of frequencies of the electric oscillatory chromatin subunits. ... Thus, cells with a particular epigenetic status share identical cellular electromagnetic frequencies derived from nuclear chromatin fibers, RNA molecules, and proteins." {Credits 1}

" DNA/RNA molecules are also electromagnetic oscillators based upon the synchronized longitudinal oscillations of electrons in the hydrogen bonds within the DNA/RNA sequences induced by the pulses within live cells (Savelev and Myakishev-Rempel, 2020). From the physical point of view, any polymeric biomolecules, including most proteins and RNAs and given the complexity and flexibility of various types of chemical and hydrogen bonds existing within these molecules, can be viewed as electromagnetic oscillators in the live cell (Sponer et al., 2001; Zhang et al., 2021). During transcription, the electromagnetic oscillations of the transcribed chromatin fibers are transmitted to the RNA molecules transcribed. The electromagnetic oscillations of mRNAs are further passed down to tRNAs and proteins through the process of translation. Thus, the electromagnetic oscillation pattern of a particular chromatin state in the nucleus propagates in the cell through the central dogma. In such a paradigm, the cell generates a cellular electromagnetic field with patterns of electromagnetic frequencies that echo electromagnetic oscillations of the chromatin fibers in the nucleus of the cell." {Credits 1}

" The cellular electromagnetic field plays a key role in the spatial and temporal regulations of the morphogenetic programs of organs and maintains anatomical homeostasis. (Levin, 2021). Michael Levin suggested bioelectricity regulated by the transmembrane potentials can be viewed as the software to program the hardware of the cell to perform complicated transformations in morphogenesis." {Credits 1}

" The number of specific types of cells must be quantitatively regulated to embody a particular morphogenetic program or genetic traits. The electromagnetic field of the cells in a particular organ will instruct the stem cells and the progenitor cells when to differentiate or self-renew by interfering with the chromatin organization of these cells (Ross et al., 2015; Maziarz et al., 2016; Suryani et al., 2021). The subtle preferences over a particular cellular electromagnetic frequency to differentiate or remain quiescent for the stem cells would determine the size and the shape of a particular tissue. The regulatory loops involved in epigenetic changes of key transcription factors are triggered by the alterations of the electromagnetic oscillation frequencies of the surrounding chromatin regions of the transcription factors enriched with noncoding RNAs." {Credits 1}

" About 99% of the genetic information of the chromatin fibers is not transcribed. Studies indicate that these noncoding DNA sequences play important roles in regulating a broad spectrum of cellular functions (Statello et al., 2021). From the quantum biology point of view, these noncoding DNA sequences function as an antenna in the chromatin fibers to sense the variation of cellular electromagnetic fields (Zhao and Zhan, 2012b). Alterations of cellular electromagnetic fields change the oscillatory mode of these noncoding DNA sequences by directly interfering with the electromagnetic field of chromatin oscillatory subunits. Different electromagnetic oscillation frequencies and chromatin subunits would cause changes in chromatin organization accompanied by changes in epigenetic modifications and protein binding partners as described in the pulse couple oscillation clustering mode (Zhao and Zhan, 2012b; Manser et al., 2017)." {Credits 1}

" The tissue-specific cellular electromagnetic field is an important factor in regulating the wound-healing system of a particular tissue (Saliev et al., 2014). Tissue injuries weaken the tissue-specific electromagnetic field of the damaged areas. Quiescent stem cells and progenitor cells residing in the vicinity of the injured area can directly sense the changes of tissue electromagnetic fields in their surroundings by their chromosomal oscillatory subunits. Thus, the external alterations of tissue electromagnetic fields can cause epigenetic changes in the progenitor cells surrounding the injured areas and further instruct the cells to proliferate and initiate the damage repair programs in the tissue (Ahmed et al., 2014)." {Credits 1}

" It is noteworthy that heat-generating organs and the circulating blood of warm-blooded animals are able to emit infrared light signals (Kelly et al., 1954). The phototaxis migratory behavior of cells is triggered by flashing light sources with flashing periods of around one flash per second, which mimicked the rhythmic pressure changes of the cardiovascular system." {Credits 1}

{Credits 1} 🎪 Sun G, Li J, Zhou W, Hoyle RG and Zhao Y (2022) Electromagnetic interactions in regulations of cell behaviors and morphogenesis. Front. Cell Dev. Biol. 10:1014030. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1014030. © 2022 the Author(s). This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.