Ji S
J Theor Biol. 1985 Oct 7;116(3):399-426. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5193(85)80278-2.
A molecular model of the living cell has been formulated based on a new theory of enzymic catalysis which takes into account the complementary roles of free energy and genetic information. The elementary units of free energy and genetic information that are necessary and sufficient for effectuating molecular mechanisms responsible for the life of the cell are called conformons. Conformons are visualized as a collection of a small number of catalytic residues of enzymes or segments of nucleic acids that are arranged in space and time with appropriate force vectors so as to cause chemical transformations or physical changes of a substrate or a bound ligand. So defined, conformons provide a plausible molecular means to link the genetic information stored in DNA and its ultimate expression, namely networks of coupled intracellular biochemical reactions and physical processes maintained by a continuous dissipation of free energy--dissipative structures of Prigogine. The proposed model of the living cell appears to possess the potential for bridging the gap between molecular biology and the biology of multicellular systems.
基于一种新的酶催化理论，已经构建了活细胞的分子模型，该理论考虑了自由能和遗传信息的互补作用。对于实现负责细胞生命的分子机制而言，自由能和遗传信息的基本单位是必要且充分的，这些基本单位被称为构象子。构象子可被视为少量酶催化残基或核酸片段的集合，它们在空间和时间上以适当的力向量排列，从而引起底物或结合配体的化学转化或物理变化。如此定义的构象子提供了一种合理的分子手段，将存储在DNA中的遗传信息与其最终表达联系起来，即由自由能的持续耗散维持的细胞内生化反应和物理过程网络——普里戈金的耗散结构。所提出的活细胞模型似乎具有弥合分子生物学与多细胞系统生物学之间差距的潜力。
