Abstract
Background: The primary cilium is a solitary, chemosensory and mechanosensory, non-motile microtubule-based organelle which in the quiescent cell cycle phase projects from the surface of most cells in vertebrates, including humans. A hypothesis has been proposed that the cell endogenous electromagnetic field results from a unique cooperating system among microtubules and mitochondria.
The present study expands this prior hypothesis of the endogenous electromagnetic field in the cell to the present hypothesis that primary cilium could serve as a monopole antenna. It is proposed that primary cilia as monopole antennas can serve for both transmitting and receiving signals at the same frequency.
Results: There was simulated the distribution of electric field of primary cilium as a monopole antenna of a single cell, primary cilia after mitosis and primary cilium of renal tubule in water environment. According to simulations of the distribution of electric field of primary cilium as a monopole antenna, the electromagnetic waves radiate not only to the neighbouring cells, but also to the nucleus of the cell proper where the gene expression during the cell cycle could be changed.
Conclusions: The present study provides the first simulations of electromagnetic field of primary cilia as monopole antennas. The proof of this function of primary cilia could extend diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.
There are several ways to verify this hypothesis. For example, it is possible to use the voltage sensitive dyes in the microenvironment outside the primary cilium or photon counting with low noise and highly sensitive photon counting system.