Self-organization in macromolecular systems: the notion of adaptive value

Self-organization in macromolecular systems refers to the transition from a random assembly of interacting oligomers to a system of stable heteropolymers. The concept of adaptive value describes the correlation between environmental variability and the variability in replication and mutation rates of the interacting oligomers. This paper describes a model of self-organization in macromolecular systems based on the concept of adaptive value. The equilibrium states of a set of interacting polymers are described by states that maximize the adaptive value. The analytic basis for this notion of equilibrium, which is called the adaptive value principle, is given and this principle is invoked to explain two examples of macromolecular self-assembly.