Cell motility: an interplay between local and non-local measurement.
The bending motions of an ATP-activated actin filament and a flagellar axoneme of starfish spermatozoon exhibit a one-to-many correspondence between the displacement of the medium and the force actualized in the medium, demonstrating sharp contrast to the one-to-one correspondence in classical mechanics. Uniqueness of the actualized forces is lacking. Cell motility suggests the absence of a completely specifiable boundary condition that would unambiguously control the dynamics of generating mechanical forces in motile cells. The one-to-many relationship between the displacement of the medium and the force actualized in the medium necessitates a materialistic capacity for making choices on the part of molecules and cells in transforming future possibilities into actualized reality, the latter of which again serves as the source of the further future possibilities.
Matsuno
K
K
Technological University of Nagaoka, Japan.
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002465:Cell Movement; D005407:Flagella / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013215:Starfish / Q000502:physiology