A program concerning intermolecular forces and tissue-specific cell contacts

Abstract

The intermolecular forces responsible for the highly specific cell-to-cell attachment in normal and abnormal tissues are studied. It is often taken for granted that before any physical study of a mechanism of high biological specificity is made, the biochemical nature of the participating molecular species should be determined. While such detailed knowledge of the chemistry of the mechanism is most important and, for an ultimate clarification of the situation, absolutely necessary, a great many detours and wrong preconceptions may be avoided if there is a clear understanding of the possible types of intermolecular forces and structural relationships which may be responsible for the specificity in question. Since there are only a quite limited number of physical types of intermolecular forces and mechanisms to choose from, it may not be too presumptuous to take advantage of that limitation of choice to infer and study model systems for highly specific biological interactions. In particular, the significance of van der Waals forces and of related charge fluctuation forces for the issue of specific cell-to-cell attachment is to be determined. Charge fluctuation forces of the London-van der Waals type (dispersion forces), forces due to permanent dipoles (Keesom forces), and also charge fluctuation forces due to mobile H + ions are investigated.