Change in zeta potential and membrane potential of slime mold Physarum polycephalum in response to chemical stimuli

Abstract

Electrophoretic study of microplasmodia of the true slime mold Physarum polycephalum was carried out in the presence of various concentrations of inorganic salts, nucleotides and sugars, and the zeta potential at the surface of the plasmodia was determined from the electrophoretic mobilities. The membrane potential of the plasmodia was also measured under the same external conditions. It was shown that changes in the membrane potential induced by the chemical stimuli agreed approximately with those induced in the zeta potential in all cases examined. These results suggested that the phase boundary potential at the membrane-solution interface is mainly responsible for the membrane potential in the chemoreception of the slime mold.