CHEMOTAXIS
Charles François (2004). CHEMOTAXIS, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 420.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 420 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented |
- “A phenomenon whereby a chemical released in the system attracts or repels a population of cells or organisms” (I. PRIGOGINE, P.M. ALLEN and R. HERMAN, 1978, p.40).
Chemotaxis is a socialization factor, in the same class as pheromones in social insects. It induces a kind of spatial anisotropy, as for example in the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, whose aggregation is controlled by the level of adenosine triphosphate (AMP) secreted by the cells. It is also operating in the construction of the nervous system, as shown by the recent discovery of so-called netrin proteins, which guide the growth of axons, by a team under the lead of M. TESSIER-LAVIGNE (Scientific American, Jan. 1995). The establishment of this type of spatial gradient is quite a general phenomenon. It corresponds probably to some not yet discovered similar one in human crowds showing collective nonrational behavior, yet to be explained.