Injury-induced electrochemical coupling triggers organ growth

Organ injury triggers nonneuronal electric currents essential for regeneration. However, the mechanisms by which electrical signals are generated, sensed, and transmitted upon damage to promote organ growth remain unclear. Here, we uncover that organ repair relies on dynamic electrochemical coupling between membrane potential depolarization and intracellular signaling, essential to activate cell proliferation. By subsecond live imaging of locally injured zebrafish larval fins, we identify events across time and space: a millisecond, long-range, membrane depolarization gradient, followed by second-persistent intracellular calcium responses. In the subsequent hour, voltage sensing phosphatase senses the injury-driven membrane potential change and autonomously translates the electric signal intracellularly, promoting tissue-wide cell proliferation. Connecting these dynamics with an electrodiffusive model showed that ionic fluxes and electric potential become coupled in the fin’s interstitial space, enabling organ-wide signal spreading. Our work reveals the coupling between fast electrical signals and slower intracellular signaling, ensuring complete organ recovery.

• Publication year

  2026

• Venue

  Science Advances

• Publication date

  2026-02-04

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aec0687PMID 41637501PMCID 12871474
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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