ON ELECTROPORATION OF CELL-MEMBRANES AND SOME RELATED PHENOMENA

Electroporation and other related cell membrane phenomena induced by an applied electric field, either a direct (dc), an alternating (ac), or a dc shifted radio-frequency electric field, reflect the electrical properties and hence the basic structure and molecular interactions of a cell membrane. The importance of studying these phenomena, thus, goes beyond their practical application in genetic engineering, agricultural research and biotechnology. On recent development in this area, namely, the electroactivation of membrane proteins by an ac field, promises to yield crucial data on how a cell can process and transmit electric signals for the regulation of its internal activities and communication with other cells (T.Y. Tsong, Trends Biochem. Sci., 14 (1990) 89). Knowledge of cellular designs of these events would have far reaching implications concerning our ability to understand cell membrane functions, especially with respect to mechanisms of cellular energy and signal transduction.