Integration of intracellular signaling: Biological analogues of wires, processors and memories organized by a centrosome 3D reference system.
Nadezhda Barvitenko, Alfons Lawen, Muhammad Aslam, Antonella Pantaleo, Carlota Saldanha, Elisaveta Skverchinskaya, Marco Regolini, Jack A Tuszynski
Bio Systems November 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2018.08.007 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA theoretical analysis proposes that the complex of the plasma membrane and the microtubule-based cytoskeleton acts as a system for transmitting, storing, and processing information in living cells. The work integrates three existing theories: the Penrose-Hameroff theory of consciousness (Orchestrated Objective Reduction), the centrosome as a reference system for constructing a 3D cell map, and the Heimburg-Jackson model of nerve pulse propagation as soliton-like electro-mechanical waves. These ideas together offer a qualitative model for decision-making processes during cell differentiation, paving the way for live-cell observation of information processing by the microtubule-based cytoskeleton and cell fate decisions.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Centrosome Memory Microtubule Signal transduction Signaling |
| Key finding | Proposes that the plasma membrane and microtubule-based cytoskeleton function as an integrated information processing system that may underlie decision-making during cell differentiation. |
Abstract
Myriads of signaling pathways in a single cell function to achieve the highest spatio-temporal integration. Data are accumulating on the role of electromechanical soliton-like waves in signal transduction processes. Theoretical studies strongly suggest feasibility of both classical and quantum computing involving microtubules. A theoretical study of the role of the complex composed of the plasma membrane and the microtubule-based cytoskeleton as a system that transmits, stores and processes information. Theoretical analysis presented here refers to (i) the Penrose-Hameroff theory of consciousness (Orchestrated Objective Reduction; Orch OR), (ii) the description of the centrosome as a reference system for construction of the 3D map of the cell proposed by Regolini, (iii) the Heimburg-Jackson model of the nerve pulse propagation along axons' lipid bilayer as soliton-like electro-mechanical waves. The ideas presented in this paper provide a qualitative model for the decision-making processes in a living cell undergoing a differentiation process. This paper paves the way for the real-time live-cell observation of information processing by microtubule-based cytoskeleton and cell fate decision making.