Kraus M, Wolf B
AG Medizinische Physik und Elektronenmikroskopie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, FRG.
Tumour Biol. 1993;14(6):338-53. doi: 10.1159/000217849.
The cell is a complex system functioning outside a thermodynamic equilibrium. The prediction of cellular functions based exclusively on molecular evidence is still impossible because of the large number of interacting molecules and the nonlinear interactions between cellular subsystems. The system cell displays a surprisingly small spectrum of macroscopically observable degrees of freedom. Their number and characteristics, however, are different in normal and neoplastic growth. As illustrated by image analytical, microanalytical and other cell biological data we demonstrate that certain cellular observables--termed order parameters--may serve as indicators for normal and neoplastic growth. The data indicate that the transition between normal and neoplastic growth can be understood as a phase transition of the mitogenic signalling network. In this interpretation, the order parameters of normal and neoplastic cells are the result of cellular self-organization.
细胞是在热力学平衡之外发挥作用的复杂系统。由于存在大量相互作用的分子以及细胞子系统之间的非线性相互作用，仅基于分子证据来预测细胞功能仍然是不可能的。系统细胞显示出宏观上可观察到的自由度范围小得出奇。然而，它们的数量和特征在正常生长和肿瘤生长中是不同的。正如图像分析、微量分析和其他细胞生物学数据所表明的，我们证明某些细胞可观察量——称为序参量——可作为正常生长和肿瘤生长的指标。数据表明，正常生长和肿瘤生长之间的转变可被理解为有丝分裂信号网络的相变。按照这种解释，正常细胞和肿瘤细胞的序参量是细胞自组织的结果。
