Modelling of photo-thermal control of biological cellular oscillators

• Published in: The European physical journal. ST, Special topics Vol. 222; no. 10; pp. 2697 - 2704
• Main Authors: Assanov, G.S., Zhanabaev, Z.Zh, Govorov, A.O., Neiman, A.B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2013; EDP Sciences
• Subjects: Atomic; Biological and medical sciences; Classical and Continuum Physics; Condensed Matter Physics; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Materials Science; Measurement Science and Instrumentation; Molecular; Molecular and cellular biology; Nonlinear dynamics and nonlinear dynamical systems; Optical and Plasma Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Regular Article; Statistical physics, thermodynamics, and nonlinear dynamical systems; Instantaneous Frequency; Sensory Hair Cell; European Physical Journal Special Topic; Heat Pulse; Phase Reset; Electroreceptor; Transient response; Vertebrata; Pisces; Oscillation; Cell biology; Thermal pulse; Modeling
• ISSN: 1951-6355; 1951-6401
• DOI: 10.1140/epjst/e2013-02049-0

We study the transient dynamics of biological oscillators subjected to brief heat pulses. A prospective well-defined experimental system for thermal control of oscillators is the peripheral electroreceptors in paddlefish. Epithelial cells in these receptors show spontaneous voltage oscillations which are known to be temperature sensitive. We use a computational model to predict the effect of brief thermal pulses in this system. In our model thermal stimulation is realized through the light excitation of gold nanoparticles delivered in close proximity to epithelial cells and generating heat due to plasmon resonance. We use an ensemble of modified Morris-Lecar systems to model oscillatory epithelial cells. First, we validate that the model quantitatively reproduces the dynamics of epithelial oscillations in paddlefish electroreceptors, including responses to static and slow temperature changes. Second, we use the model to predict transient responses to short heat pulses generated by the light actuated gold nanoparticles. The model predicts that the epithelial oscillators can be partially synchronized by brief 5–15 ms light stimuli resulting in a large-amplitude oscillations of the mean field potential.