Complexity Radiating from Biological Ion Conductors.
Eric Jakobsson, Director of Center for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology, National Institutes of Health
The ion channel embedded in a membrane, by the measure of dielectric heterogeneity in a small volume, is an enormously complex element of condensed matter. This structural complexity underlies the functional complexity of the nervous system including the brain, and myriad other cells and networks of cells. Heterogenous functionally interacting groups of ion conductors in biological membranes effect electrical signaling, electrical power generation, osmosis and fluid pumping, and energy transduction. This paper will provide illustrations from recent work in our laboratory on how complexity scales in individual ion conductors and interacting networks of ion conductors. We will also show how phylogenetic analysis complements biophysical analysis and modeling, in effect linking time scales from nanoseconds to millions of years.
Slides