Absolute minimum ATP cost of an Action Potential
| Value | 1e+6 molecules of ATP per square cm of membrane |
|---|---|
| Organism | Unspecified |
| Reference | Aiello GL, Bach-y-Rita P. The cost of an action potential. J Neurosci Methods. 2000 Nov 30103(2):145-9.PubMed ID11084206 |
| Method | Calculated from value of 1e11-1e12 ATP/ cm^2 of membrane per action potential (BNID 104192), assuming a fiber diameter of 1 mm, and a node length of 2 mm (Dowling, 1992), the depolarizable surface is about 10 ^-7 cm^2. Thus, the minimum cost would be 10^6 ATP per AP, which matches the cost of depolarizing the unmyelinated axon of the large monopolar cell in the blowfly retina (Laughlin et al., 1998, BNID 103554). |
| Comments | An absolute minimum cost is estimated at a node of Ranvier, where the exposed membrane surface is minimal, and the density of ion channels sufficient to regenerate an AP. |
| Entered by | Uri M |
| ID | 104236 |