Self-organization: the fundament of cell biology
2018 | journal article; research paper
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Details
- Authors
- Wedlich-Söldner, Roland; Betz, Timo
- Abstract
- Self-organization refers to the emergence of an overall order in time and space of a given system that results from the collective interactions of its individual components. This concept has been widely recognized as a core principle in pattern formation for multi-component systems of the physical, chemical and biological world. It can be distinguished from self-assembly by the constant input of energy required to maintain order-and self-organization therefore typically occurs in non-equilibrium or dissipative systems. Cells, with their constant energy consumption and myriads of local interactions between distinct proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids, represent the perfect playground for self-organization. It therefore comes as no surprise that many properties and features of self-organized systems, such as spontaneous formation of patterns, nonlinear coupling of reactions, bi-stable switches, waves and oscillations, are found in all aspects of modern cell biology. Ultimately, self-organization lies at the heart of the robustness and adaptability found in cellular and organismal organization, and hence constitutes a fundamental basis for natural selection and evolution.This article is part of the theme issue 'Self-organization in cell biology'.
- Issue Date
- 2018
- Journal
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences
- ISSN
- 0962-8436
- eISSN
- 1471-2970
- Language
- English