The endodermis surrounds and protects the vasculature partly by depositing hydrophobic suberin in cell walls. Yet, some cells remain unsuberised. These historically termed ‘passage cells’ are assumed to provide a low-resistance pathway xylem. Only recently have we started gain molecular insights into these cells, which allow us probe how roots coordinate communication with environment across ba...

1Department of Physiology, University of Tübingen, Gmelinstraβe 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany 2 Institute for Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg/Saar, Germany 3 Section of Cell Degeneration and Gender Medicine, Department of Therapeutic Research and Medicines Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy 4 Institute ...

Since the 1880s, concept of compartmentalizing through membranes has taken a firm place in cell physiology and defined objects, methods, goals physiologists’ research for decades. A huge mass biologists know about important role intra-membrane pumps, channels, lipids, various hypotheses origin life often begin with explanations how lipid membrane occurred, without which it is impossible to imag...

The 100,000th scientific article on the subject of spermatozoa was recently published. Many studies have evaluated the characteristics of this important cell leading to great discoveries. Since its first observation and description in 1677, many important characteristics have been described regarding this highly fascinating gamete. In this review, our objective has been to provide a historical ...

The intercapillary area of the kidney glomerulus was first described and named «mesangium» by Zimmermann in 1933 1. The advent of electron microscopy enabled Marinozzi in Italy 2 and Latta in the U.S. 3 to conclusively demonstrate that a separate cell type exists in the kidney glomerulus, in addition to epithelial and endothelial cells lining around the basement membrane. The functions of these...

The family of mammalian bicarbonate transport proteins are involved in a wide-range of physiological processes. The importance of bicarbonate transport follows from the biochemistry of HCO(3)(-) itself. Bicarbonate is the waste product of mitochondrial respiration. HCO(3)(-) undergoes pH-dependent conversion into CO(2) and in doing so converts from a membrane impermeant anion into a gas that ca...

We need well-founded theories linking attentional phenomena at the cognitive, psychological level to neurophysiological phenomena at the level of individual neurons, and we want the theories to be as precise as possible. Is it currently feasible to formulate such theories in mathematical terms? Here I argue, by example, for a positive answer. My example is the neural theory of visual attention ...

The measured viscoelastic properties of biological tissues is the result of the passive and active response of the cells. We propose an evolution law of the remodeling process in the cytoskeleton which is able to mimic the viscous properties of biological cellular tissues. Our model is based on dynamical changes of the resting length. We show that under the small strain regime, the linear rheol...