Related Experiment Videos
Cell motility: an interplay between local and non-local measurement
1Technological University of Nagaoka, Japan.
Bio Systems
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Cellular motility, like actin filaments and flagella, shows a one-to-many force-displacement relationship, unlike classical mechanics. This suggests cells possess a materialistic capacity for choice in generating mechanical forces.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Mechanobiology
Background:
- Classical mechanics describes a one-to-one relationship between force and displacement.
- Cellular motility involves complex mechanical processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the force-displacement relationship in cellular motility.
- To contrast cellular mechanics with classical mechanics.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of bending motions in ATP-activated actin filaments.
- Analysis of bending motions in starfish spermatozoon flagellar axonemes.
Main Results:
- Observed a one-to-many correspondence between medium displacement and actualized force in cellular systems.
- Demonstrated a lack of uniqueness in actualized forces, contrasting with classical mechanics.
- Indicated the absence of fully specifiable boundary conditions controlling force generation in motile cells.
Conclusions:
- Cellular motility exhibits a one-to-many force-displacement relationship, challenging classical mechanics.
- Motile cells possess a materialistic capacity for choice in force generation.
- This capacity influences the transformation of possibilities into reality, driving further possibilities.