Title :
Cells, gels and the engines of life: a fresh paradigm for cell function
Author :
Pollack, Gerald H.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Bioeng., Washington Univ., Seattle, WA, USA
Abstract :
The cytoplasm is a gel. When cell function is built on the premise of a gel, rather than on the usual premise of an aqueous solution, the resulting cellular mechanisms are simple, and consistent with available evidence.
Keywords :
biomembrane transport; cellular biophysics; osmosis; phase transformations; polymer gels; water; aqueous solution; cell function; cells; cellular mechanisms; cytoplasm; gels; ion channels; ion pumps; ions; phase-transition; polymers; water; Bonding; Engines; Foot; Glass; Muscles; Nonhomogeneous media; Polymer gels; Proteins; Pumps; Solvents;
Conference_Titel :
Biomedical Engineering, 2003. IEEE EMBS Asian-Pacific Conference on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7943-8
DOI :
10.1109/APBME.2003.1302562
