Studies on the interrelationship between hormonal imprinting and membrane potential in model experiments on Tetrahymena
Köhidai, L.; Muto, Y.; Nozawa, Y.; Csaba, G.
Cellular and Molecular Biology 32(6): 641-645
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0145-5680 PMID: 3030550 Document Number: 283030
Model experiments on Tetrahymena have shown that hormone binding was always associated with membrane depolarization. The degree of depolarization varied with the actual binding capacity for the hormone, and the two parameters appeared to be interrelated. An appreciable depolarization occurred always at low levels of hormone binding, and vice versa, it was less distinct when the level of binding was high. The degree of depolarization also depended on the type of the interacting hormone molecule, and other factors, such as membrane down-regulation processes, or the length of hormone exposure. A non-hormone molecule did not show the membrane polarity modifying effect, which seems to be characteristic of hormones.