Cell motility and thermodynamic fluctuations tailoring quantum mechanics for biology.
Cell motility underlying muscle contraction is an instance of thermodynamics tailoring quantum mechanics for biology. Thermodynamics is intrinsically multi-agential in admitting energy consumers in the form of energy-deficient thermodynamic fluctuations. The onset of sliding movement of an actin filament on myosin molecules in the presence of ATP molecules to be hydrolyzed demonstrates that thermodynamic fluctuations transform their nature so as to accommodate themselves to energy transduction subject to the first law of thermodynamics. The transition from transversal to longitudinal fluctuations of an actin filament with the increase of ATP concentration coincides with the change in the nature of energy consumers acting upon thermal energy in the light of the first law, eventually embodying a uniform sliding movement of an actin filament.
Matsuno
K
K
Department of BioEngineering, Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka 940-2188, Japan. kmatsuno@vos.nagakaut.ac.jp
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D002465:Cell Movement; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013816:Thermodynamics
D000199:Actins; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate