Memristors in the electrical network of Aloe vera L.
Author: Volkov AG1, Reedus J, Mitchell CM, Tucket C, Forde-Tuckett V, Volkova MI, Markin VS, Chua L.
Affiliation:
1a Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Oakwood University; Huntsville, AL USA.
Conference/Journal: Plant Signal Behav.
Date published: 2014
Other:
Volume ID: 9 , Issue ID: 7 , Special Notes: doi: 10.4161/psb.29056. , Word Count: 170
Abstract
A memristor is a resistor with memory, which is a non-linear passive two-terminal electrical element relating magnetic flux linkage and electrical charge. Here we found that memristors exist in vivo. The electrostimulation of the Aloe vera by bipolar sinusoidal or triangle periodic waves induce electrical responses with fingerprints of memristors. Uncouplers carbonylcyanide-3-chlorophenylhydrazone and carbonylcyanide-4-trifluoromethoxy-phenyl hydrazone decrease the amplitude of electrical responses at low and high frequencies of bipolar periodic sinusoidal or triangle electrostimulating waves. Memristive behavior of an electrical network in the Aloe vera is linked to the properties of voltage gated ion channels: the K(+) channel blocker TEACl reduces the electric response to a conventional resistor. Our results demonstrate that a voltage gated K(+) channel in the excitable tissue of plants has properties of a memristor. The discovery of memristors in plants creates a new direction in the modeling and understanding of electrical phenomena in plants.
KEYWORDS:
Aloe vera; CAM plant; Electrostimulation; Memristor; Plant electrophysiology
PMID: 25763487 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] PMCID: PMC4091316 Free PMC Article
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