Molecular Theory Of The Living Cell

The book presents the first comprehensive molecular theory of the living cell ever published since the cell doctrine was formulated in 1838-1839. It introduces into cell biology over thirty key concepts, principles and laws imported from physics, chemistry, computer science, linguistics, semiotics and philosophy. The author formulates physically, chemically and enzymologically realistic molecular mechanisms to account for basic living processes such as ligand-receptor interactions, enzymic catalysis, force-generating mechanisms in molecular motors, chromatin remodelling, and signal transduction. Possible solutions to basic and practical problems facing contemporary biology and biomedical sciences have been suggested, including pharmacotherapeutics and personalized medicine.

In late 1971 we were involved in a study of the interaction of radiation with matter and were trying to use measurements of radiation fluorescence in biological molecules to indicate how radiation affected living cells. It soon became apparent that we were working in the dark; the doses we used to get a significant signal were too large to be of interest for radiation biology and although the DNA molecule appeared to be the most likely target molecule we did not know which sort of events and which sort oflesions were the most important. We decided to alter our approach to see if we could find any consistent mathematical order in the radiobiological dose relationships. We found that cell survival curves could be very usefully described by a linear-quadratic dose relationship and very soon came to the somewhat premature but, as it turned out, most effective conclusion that the induction of DNA double strand breaks should be linear-quadratic. In deciding that the DNA double strand break was the crucial and all-important lesion we were able to associate the mathematical analysis with the biology of the cell and were able to relate known properties of the DNA molecule to known radiobiological effects. On the other hand, we were restricted and brought, from an abstract two-hit lesion which could have any property one wished, down to earth, to a defined moleccular structure of nanometer dimensions and well-known functions and properties.

The subject of this book is the physico-chemical theory of the origin of life. Although this theory is still in statu nascendi, it has been developed in recent years to the point where a coherent presentation is possible. The book is intended as an introductory text for students of physics, chemistry or biology. This interdisciplinary aim has necessitated a choice of material based on the lowest common denominator of physicists and biologists. In particular, the predominantly mathematical and biological sections have been presented at the most elementary l.evel possible. The less mathematically inclined reader can omit Sections (5.3)-(5.5), (5.7)-(5.10), (6.2), (6.3), (9.1)-(9.3), (12.1) and (13.3) without losing the overall view. For critical reading of the manuscript, for discussions and for many useful suggestions I wish to thank M. Eigen (Gottingen), w.e. Gardiner (Austin), D. Porschke (Gottingen), P. Schuster (Vienna), P.R. Wills (Auckland) and P. Woolley (Berlin). The translation of the original, German manuscript into English was kindly undertaken by Paul Woolley. During this and subsequent stages of revision he introduced a great many improvements in the text and the presentation of material. My particular thanks are due to him for his decisive contribution to this book. Last of all I wish to thank Ingeborg Lechten for typing the text in its various stages of evolution. The completion of this book is largely to be attributed to her patience and efficiency.

Discusses the development of the shapes of living organisms and their parts in a field of science in which there are no generally accepted theoretical principles.

A Molecular Conception of Organisms and Neoplasms is a six-chapter thesis that consists of a chain of reasoning on the theory of molecular conception. This thesis contends that any organism, even if multicellular, is basically a single molecule, which is the key problem of the causation of neoplasms. After providing a unifying definition of a molecule, this book goes on discussing the concept of fundamental unicellularity of multicellular organism through protoplasmic continuity between its cells. The succeeding chapters highlight the principles of the molecular conception of organisms and neoplasms. The final chapters outline the other activities of an organism determined by the molecular conception theory, such as embryonic development, animal heat, movement, pleasure and pain, and mind. This book will be of value to biochemists and clinical chemists.

This book represents the results of 45 years of research on a wide range of topics, including atomic physics, single-molecule enzymology, whole-cell metabolism, physiology, pharmacology, linguistics, semiotics, and cosmology. It describes the first comprehensive molecular theory of the genotype-phenotype coupling based on two key theoretical concepts: (i) the conformon, the conformational wave packet in biopolymers carrying both the free energy and genetic information; and (ii) the intracellular dissipative structures, the chemical concentration waves inside the cell that serve as the immediate drivers of all cell functions. Conformons provide the driving forces for all molecular machines in the cell, and intracellular dissipative structures coordinate intra- and intercellular processes such as gene expression and cell-cell communications. One of the predictions made by the cell language theory (CLT) is that there are two forms of genetic information — the Watson–Crick genes transmitting information in time (identified with DNA), and the Prigoginian genes transmitting information in space (identified with RNA expression profiles). The former is analogous to sheet music or written language and the latter is akin to audio music or spoken language, both being coupled by conformons acting as the analog of the pianist. The new theory of DNA structure and function constructed on the basis of CLT can rationally account for most of the puzzling findings recently unearthed by the ENCODE (Encyclopedia of DNA Elements) project. The Cell Language Theory has important applications in biomedical sciences including drug discovery research and personalized medicine on the one hand and in the mind-body research and consciousness studies on the other. Contents: PrefaceAbout the AuthorAcknowledgementsIntroductionKey Terms and ConceptsThe BhopalatorCell LanguageMatrix Mathematics of GeneticsBiosemioticsApplications of the Cell Language Theory to Biomedical SciencesThe Universality of the Planckian Distribution EquationThe Universality of the Irreducible Triadic RelationThe Philosophical Implications of the Cell Language TheoryConclusionsReferencesAppendicesIndex Readership: Students, researchers and practitioners of the biomedical sciences and mind-body research and consciousness studies Keywords: Conformons;Cell Language Theory;Intracellular Dissipative Structures;Watson-Crick Gene;Prigoginian GeneReview:0

acids. The achievements of molecular biology testify to the success of material science in a realm which, until recently, appeared totally enig matic and mysterious. Further scientific developments should bring to mankind vast developments both in theoretical knowledge and in practical applications, namely, in agriculture, medicine, and technology. The purpose of this book is to explain molecular biophysics to all who might wish to learn about it, to biologists, to physicists, to chemists. This book contains descriptive sections, as well as sections devoted to rigorous mathematical treatment of a number of problems, some of which have been studied by the author and his collaborators. These sections may be omitted during a first reading. Each chapter has a selected bibliography. This book is far from an exhaustive treatise on molecular biophysics. It deals principally with questions related to the structures and functions of proteins and nucleic acids. M. V. Vol'kenshtein Leningrad, September, 1964 CONTENTS Chapter 1 Physics and Biology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Physics and Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Molecular Physics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Molecular Biophysics ................................... 9 Thermodynamics and Biology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 . . . . . . . Information Theory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 2 Cells, Viruses, and Heredity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 . . . . . . . . The Living Cell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 . . . . . . . . . . . Cell Division. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . Viruses and Bacteriophages ........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 . . . . Basic Laws of Genetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . . . . Mutations and Mutability ........ , ................. " . . . . 60 Genetics of Bacteria and Phages " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 . . . . . . Chapter 3 Biological Molecules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 . . . . . . . . . . Amino Acids and Proteins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 . . . . . . . . Asymmetry of Biological Molecules ....................... 87 Primary Structure of Proteins ............................ 94 Nucleic Acids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . Some Biochemical Processes in the Cell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 . . . . Chapter 4 Physics of Macromolecules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 . . . . . . . . .