Nuclear magnetic resonance study of squid giant axon.
Using a spin-echo technique, the spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times (T1 and T2) of water protons in a single nerve fiber (giant axon of squid) were determined. Similar measurements were also carried out on axoplasm extruded from these nerve fibers. It was found that the relaxation times of water protons of both the intact fiber and the extruded axoplasm are approximately equal (and much less than those of a free solution), suggesting that the relaxation times of cellular water are shortened mainly by water-protein interactions rather than by water-membrane interactions.
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons; D002462:Cell Membrane; D003593:Cytoplasm; D049832:Decapodiformes; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D011522:Protons; D014867:Water
D011522:Protons; D014867:Water