Excitability, instability and phase transitions in squid axon membrane under internal perfusion with dilute salt solutions

Abstract

Using giant axons of squid, Doryteuthis, available in Hokkaido, Japan, it was shown that axons internally perfused with a dilute sodium salt solution undergo an abrupt transition from a resting to a depolarized state on addition of KCl to an external medium containing CaCl 2. Under internal perfusion with a dilute solution of sodium or cesium salt, it was possible to induce abrupt transitions between the two ( i.e., resting and depolarized) states of the membrane by changing the temperature. “Giant fluctuations” in the state of the axon membrane were demonstrated at and near the critical points of the axon membrane. These findings are interpreted as supporting the view that an abrupt change in the membrane potential and conductance is an electrochemical manifestation of a phase transition of the membrane macromolecules.