On the fractal nature of cytoplasm.
On the basis of a quantification of the fractal dimension, D, in micrographs of cytoskeleton components or microtrabecular lattice, we propose that the cellular cytoplasm can be described as a percolation cluster, a sort of 'random fractal'. Our hypothesis deals with: (i) the existence of the percolation threshold--a remarkable property of percolation processes; and (ii) the reactivity increase--when enzymes, or targets, and substrates, or effectors, coexist in the same topological dimension.
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Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO, CONICET-UNT), Departamento de Bioquímica de la Nutrición, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
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D002384:Catalysis; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008433:Mathematics