A model for self-sustained potential oscillation of lipid bilayer membranes induced by the gel-liquid crystal phase transitions.

To clarify the mechanism of self-sustained oscillation of the electric potential between the two solutions divided by a lipid bilayer membrane, a microscopic model of the membrane system is presented. It is assumed, on the basis of the observed results (Yoshikawa, K., T. Omachi, T. Ishii, Y. Kuroda, and K. liyama. 1985. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 133:740-744; Ishii, T., Y. Kuroda, T. Omochi, and K. Yoshikawa. 1986. Langmuir. 2:319-321; Toko, K., N. Nagashima, S. liyama, K. Yamafuji, and T. Kunitake. Chem. Lett. 1986:1375-1378), that the gel-liquid crystal phase transition of the membrane drives the potential oscillation. It is studied, by using the model, how and under what condition the repetitive phase transition may occur and induce the potential oscillation. The transitions are driven by the repetitive adsorption and desorption of proton by the membrane surface, actions that are induced the periodic reversal of the direction of protonic current. The essential conditions for the periodic reversal are (a) at least one kind of cations such as Na+ or K+ are included in the system except for proton, and the variation of their permeability across the membrane due to the phase transition is noticeably larger than that of proton permeability; and (b) the phase transition has a hysteresis. When these conditions are fulfilled, the self-sustained potential oscillation may be brought about by adjusting temperature, pH, and the cation concentration in the solutions on both sides of the membrane. Application of electric current across the membrane also induces or modifies the potential oscillation. Periodic, quasiperiodic, and chaotic oscillations appear especially, depending on the value of frequency of the applied alternating current.