ULTIMATE COMPUTING - Quantum Consciousness Studies

114 Cytoskeleton/Cytocomputer
surface of a cell that is already flattened, the membrane of the first cell will flow
in a direction opposite to the point of contact. This type of sensitive regulation of
growth processes is defective in malignant cancer cell.
Figure 5.23: Cytoplasmic organization of a cultured cell moving to the right.
Microtubules (MT) radiate from the centrosome (C), located near the nucleus (N),
Golgi elements (G), and lysosomes (L). Mitochondria (M) and endoplasmic
reticulum (ER) are aligned along MT. Phagocytic and pinocytic vacuoles (P) and
secretory vesicles (V) move along MT between the centrosome and periphery.
Intermediate filaments (IF) roughly parallel MT. Stress fibers (SF) are the
cytoplasmic anchors for extracellular matrix fibers (MF) which contact the
substrate. At the leading edge of the moving cell, lamellipodia and filopodia,
comprised of actin bundles and meshwork, probe the future. At the trailing end,
retraction fibers (RF) contain actin bundles and intermediate filaments. With
permission from Marc DeBrabander (1982) and Janssen Pharmaceutics
Research Laboratories.
Northwestern University biologist Guenter Albrecht-Buehler (1977, 1980)
has studied isolated cytoplasm and beholds intelligent behavior. Examples include
the movements of single cell organisms alternating between tumbling and smooth
motions (Adler, 1969), swimming of motile bacteria in chemotactic environments
(Macnab and Koshland, 1972), backward swimming of paramecium after
collision with an object, and the amoeboid directed locomotion of cultured 3T3
mouse cells. Albrecht-Buehler classifies three major types of amoeboid motion:
1) force generation (contraction of an actin-myosin complex, assemblydisassembly
of filament polymers, dynein-MT sliding, filament rotation), 2)
transmission of motile forces to the framework work of a cell (cytoskeleton in
general, anchorage of fibrous elements to the cell surface in particular) and 3)
generation of traction (adhesion plaques, extracellular matrix, basement
membranes).