Existence of memory in ion channels.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the existence of memory in Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels of cultured aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMC) and voltage-dependent K+ channels of clonal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells.


METHODS
Calculating the sample auto-correlation functions based on the digitized signals or the 0-1 series corresponding to closing and opening of the channels after routine evaluation, rather than the sequence of sojourn times.


RESULTS
The sample auto-correlations showed a decreasing trend with elapse of time, stable to repeated observations under the same conditions and sensitive to treatments.


CONCLUSIONS
The attribute of memory exists in some single channels as an intrinsic feature of them, independent of any extrinsic assumptions on missing observations due to limited time resolution.
Fang
J Q
JQ
Department of Medical Statistics, Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Ni
T Y
TY
You
Z Y
ZY
Fan
J
J
Guan
Y Y
YY
D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002999:Clone Cells; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000473:pathology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D015221:Potassium Channels