Information Thermodynamics and Cell Telomere

p. 213-224

Abstract

We consider the principle loss of the cell structure (information) caused by the normal cell duplication. This loss, known as aging by a 'tooth of time', can be measured by information entropy. Functionally, it can be described by a carnotized model of information transfer, by a direct heat cycle. The growth of the thermodynamic entropy in its environment is similar to the loss of the cell structure, measured, in biology, by the shortenning the length of the cell telomere [24] . The telomere is, said approximately, a box of chromozomes and its length is coding the age of the cell, or in other words, is coding the number of the cell's predecessors in the normal situation. During the pathological cell proliferation the opposite situation arises. Cells with a precise structure are generated, but of a type which is different from their normal type. This growth of cells' structure in a certain locality (within the whole organism) is 'paid for ' by the draining off energy from its environment. Again, this situation is describable by the thermodynamic model of information transfer, but in a reverse form this time. The decreasing value of the thermodynamic entropy, or increasing value of the information entropy is now evidenced (locally), but 'paid for' by the environment. In terms of cells, the growth of the cells structure is now measured by the lengthening of their telomeres [24]

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References

Bibliographical reference

Bohdan Hejna, « Information Thermodynamics and Cell Telomere », CASYS, 29 | 2014, 213-224.

Electronic reference

Bohdan Hejna, « Information Thermodynamics and Cell Telomere », CASYS [Online], 29 | 2014, Online since 30 September 2024, connection on 14 November 2024. URL : http://popups.lib.uliege.be/1373-5411/index.php?id=3870

Author

Bohdan Hejna

Institute of Chemical Technology Prague, Department of Mathematics, Studentska 6, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic

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