Bioelectrochemistry of Cells and Tissues

1. Electric organs and their innervation: A model system for the study of cholinergic function.- Introduction.- Anatomy and embryology of the electromotor system.- Electrophysiology of the electromotor system.- Electrolocation and electrocommunication.- The cellular and molecular biology of cholinergic synapses as deduced from work on the electromotor system.- Summary.- 2. Contractility and motility of muscle and non-muscle cells.- Introduction.- Histology of striated muscle cells.- Muscle physiology.- The sliding filament model.- Actin and myosin are proteins organized in filaments.- Actin and myosin exist in a number of variants.- The atomic structures of actin and myosin subfragment 1 have been solved.- The cross-bridge cycle.- The mechanism of ATP-hydrolysis by myosin and acto-myosin.- Where in the myosin molecule is the force produced?.- The regulation of muscle activity.- Electrochemical coupling in muscle cells.- Muscle diseases (Myopathies).- Motor systems in non-muscle cells.- Summary.- 3. Light-transduction in photoreceptors.- Introduction.- Structure and function of photoreceptors.- Molecular basis of phototransduction.- Light-induced currents.- Function of calcium ions in photoreception.- Voltage-gated currents and their physiological significance.- Ion transport.- Summary and conclusions.- 4. An electrochemical description of metabolism.- Introduction.- Cellular structure and enzyme organisation.- Cellular energy transduction.- Proton and electron flow in intracellular structures.- Importance of electrical processes in the control of metabolism.- Significance of cellular potentials.- Theoretical considerations.- Relevant experimental studies.- Electrochemical regulation of metabolism.- 5. The low-frequency dielectric properties of biological cells.- Introduction.- Theory of the dielectric experiment.- Mechanisms of dielectric dispersion in biological systems.- Mechanisms of dielectric relaxation in cell suspensions and tissues.- Nonlinear interactions of cells with electrical fields.- A four state enzyme capable of harvesting electrical energy for the performance of useful (bio)chemical work.- 6. Dielectrophoretic and electrorotation behaviour of cells: Theory and experiment.- Introduction.- Theoretical background.- Cell dielectrophoresis.- Cell electrorotation.- Relationship between dielectrophoresis and electrorotation.- 7. Effects of magnetic fields on living systems.- Introduction.- Field types and modes of action.- Experimental in vitro results.- Experimental in vivo results.- 8. Low-frequency electromagnetic field effects on cell metabolism.- Introduction.- Experimental techniques.- Biochemical and biological response of biological systems.- Current models for mechanisms of electrostimulation.