Bioelectrical signaling via domain wall migration

Electrical signaling in biology is typically associated with action potentials, transient spikes in membrane voltage that return to baseline. Here we show theoretically and experimentally that homogeneous or nearly homogeneous tissues can undergo spontaneous symmetry breaking into domains with different resting potentials, separated by stable bioelectrical domain walls. Transitions from one resting potential to another can occur through long-range migration of these domain walls. We map bioelectrical domain wall motion using all-optical electrophysiology in an engineered stable cell line and in human iPSC-derived myoblasts. Bioelectrical domain wall migration may occur during embryonic development and during physiological signaling processes in polarized tissues. These results demonstrate a novel form of bioelectrical pattern formation and long-range signaling.