Outline of a Theory of Cellular Heterogeneity

In the effort to advance toward a theory of cellular function that is not completely mechanistic, I have encountered a variable whose significance is often overlooked. This is the degree of heterogeneity of organic tissue, which may vary from highly homogeneous conditions to quite large degrees of h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1984-08, Vol.81 (16), p.5126-5129
Main Author: Elsasser, Walter M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Atoms
Biochemistry
Biology
Cell Physiological Phenomena
Cells - cytology
Chemical bonding
Chemicals
Metabolism
Models, Biological
Molecular structure
Molecules
Physics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum Theory
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Summary:In the effort to advance toward a theory of cellular function that is not completely mechanistic, I have encountered a variable whose significance is often overlooked. This is the degree of heterogeneity of organic tissue, which may vary from highly homogeneous conditions to quite large degrees of heterogeneity, primarily with respect to chemical bonding. For several decades, I have dealt with the theoretical analysis of this type of problem, and here I give a condensed outline of the conceptual changes to which such an analysis is likely to lead. I believe the time is ripe to compare these theoretical arguments with observations. The data that occasion this note are those of Rubin [Rubin, H. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81, 5121-5125]; they and numerous similar observations suggest the possibility of an advance toward a nonreductionist model of cellular function along lines that are here indicated; the theoretical model is thought of as operating entirely within the framework of quantum mechanics.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.81.16.5126