Phase Transitions in Cell Biology

Preface. On the Reversible Abrupt Structural Changes in Nerve Fibers Underlying Their Excitation and Conduction Processes, Ichiji Tasaki. Nonequilibrium Phase Transition in Scattered Cell Communities Coupled by Auto/Paracrine-Like Signalling, H. Berry. InterfacialWater Compartments on Tendon/Collagen and in Cells, I.L. Cameron and G.D. Fullerton. The Role of Ion-Exchange on Trypsin Premature Activation in Zymogen Granules, Y.X. Ding, E. Chen, K. Yang and W.-C. Chin. Whole-Cell Phase Transition in Neurons and its Possible Role in Apoptotic Cell Death, F. Gallyas and J. Pal. Puzzles of Cell and Animal Physiology in View of the Chain-Ordering Transition in Lipid Membrane, D.P. Kharakoz. Ephemeral Gels: The Biological Example Applied to a New Type of Polymers, J. Picard, S. Giraudier and V. Larreta-Garde. The Cytoskeleton of the Living Cell as an Out-of-Equilibrium System, Guillaume Lenormand, Adriano M. Alencar, Xavier Trepat, En-hua Zhou, Ben Fabry, James P. Butler and Jeffrey J. Fredberg. Unexpected Linkage Between Unstirred Layers, Exclusion Zones, and Water, Gerald H. Pollack and James Clegg. 'Autothixotropy' of Water – An Unknown Physical Phenomenon, and its Possible Importance for the Cytoskeleton, Bohumil Vybiral and Pavel Voracek. Propagation of Volume Phase Transitions as a Possible Mechanism for Movement in Biological Systems, Yeghiazarian and R. Lux. Cell Plasma Membranes and Phase Transitions, Mark M. Banaszak Holl. Index. Contributors.