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Dr. Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. © 2001

*Reprinted from /Bridges/, 2001 Vol 12(1):5
ISSEEM>(303) 425-4625*

Though a human is comprised of over fifty trillion cells, there are no
physiologic functions in our bodies that were not already pre-existing
in the biology of the single, nucleated (eukaryotic) cell. Single-celled
organisms, such as the amoeba or paramecium, possess the cytological
equivalents of a digestive system, an excretory system, a respiratory
system, a musculoskeletal system, an immune system, a reproductive
system and a cardiovascular system, among others.>In the humans, these
physiologic functions are associated with the activity of specific
organs.>These same physiologic processes are carried out in cells by
diminutive organ systems called /organelles/.>

Cellular life is sustained by tightly regulating the functions of the
cell?s physiologic systems. The expression of predictable behavioral
repertoires implies the existence of a cellular "nervous system." This
system reacts to environmental stimuli by eliciting appropriate
behavioral responses. The organelle that coordinates the adjustments and
reactions of a cell to its internal and external environments would
represent the cytoplasmic equivalent of the "brain."

Since the breaking of the genetic code in the early 1950's, cell
biologists have favored the concept of /genetic determinism/, the notion
that genes "control" biology. Virtually all of the cell?s genes are
contained within the cell?s largest organelle, the /nucleus/.
Conventional opinion considers the nucleus to be the "command center" of
the cell.>As such, the nucleus would represent the cellular equivalent
of the "brain."

Genetic determinism infers that the expression and fate of an organism
are primarily "predetermined" in its genetic code. The genetic basis of
organismal expression is ingrained in the biological sciences as a
consensual truth, a belief by which we frame our reference for health
and disease. Hence the notion that susceptibility to certain illnesses
or the expression of aberrant behavior is generally linked to genetic
lineage and, on occasions, spontaneous mutations. By extension, it is
also perceived by a majority of scientists that the human mind and
consciousness are "encoded" in the molecules of the nervous system. This
in turn promotes the concept that the emergence of consciousness
reflects the "ghost in the machine."

The primacy of DNA in influencing and regulating biological behavior and
evolution is based upon an unfounded assumption. A seminal article by H.
F. Nijhout (BioEssays >1990, 12 (9):441-446) describes how concepts concerning genetic
"controls" and "programs" were originally conceived as metaphors to help
define and direct avenues of research. Widespread repetition of this
compelling hypothesis over fifty years has resulted in the "metaphor of
the model" becoming the "truth of the mechanism," in spite of the
absence of substantiative supporting evidence. Since the assumption
emphasizes the genetic program as the "top rung" on the biological
control ladder, genes have acquired the status of causal agents in
eliciting biological expression and behavior (e.g., genes causing
cancer, alcoholism, even criminality).

The notion that the nucleus and its genes are the "brain" of the cell is
an untenable and illogical hypothesis. If the brain is removed from an
animal, disruption of physiologic integration would immediately lead to
the organism's death. If the nucleus truly represented the brain of the
cell, then removal of the nucleus would result in the cessation of cell
functions and immediate cell death. However, experimentally /enucleated/
cells may survive for two or more months with out genes, and yet are
capable of effecting complex responses to environmental and cytoplasmic
stimuli (Lipton, et al., Differentiation 1991, 46:117-133). Logic
reveals that the nucleus /can not/ be the brain of the cell!

Studies on cloned human cells led me to the awareness that the cell?s
/plasmalemma/, commonly referred to as the /cell membrane/, represents
the cell?s "brain.">Cell membranes, the first biological organelle to
appear in evolution, are the only organelle common to every living
organism. Cell membranes compartmentalize the cytoplasm, separating it
from the vagaries of the external environment.>In its barrier capacity,
the membrane enables the cell to maintain tight "control" over the
cytoplasmic environment, a necessity in carrying out biological
reactions. Cell membranes are so thin that they can only be observed
using the electron microscope.>Consequently, the existence>and universal
expression of the membrane structure>was only clearly established around
1950.>

In electron micrographs, the cell membrane appears as a vanishingly thin
(<10nm), tri-layered (black-white-black) "skin" enveloping the cell. The
fundamental structural simplicity of the cell membrane, which is
identical for all biological organisms, beguiled cell biologists.>For
most of the last fifty years, the membrane was perceived as a "passive,"
semi-permeable barrier, resembling a breathable "plastic wrap," whose
function was to simply contain the cytoplasm.

The membrane?s layered appearance reflects the organization of its
phospholipid building blocks.>These lollipop-shaped molecules are
amphipathic, they possess both a globular /polar/ phosphate head (Figure
A) and two stick-like /non-polar/ legs (Figure B). When shaken in
solution, the phospholipids self-assemble into a stabilizing crystalline
bilayer (Figure C).

The lipid legs comprising the core of the membrane >provide a
hydrophobic barrier (Figure D) that partitions the cytoplasm from the
ever-changing external environment.>While cytoplasmic integrity is
maintained by the lipid?s passive barrier function, life processes
necessitate the active exchange of metabolites and information between
the cytoplasm and surrounding environment. The physiologic activities of
the plasmalemma are mediated by the membrane?s /proteins/ .

Each of the approximately 100,000 different proteins providing for the
human body is comprised of a linear chain of linked amino acids. The
"chains" are assembled from a population of twenty different amino
acids.>Each protein?s unique structure and function is defined by the
specific sequence of amino acids comprising its chain. Synthesized as a
linear string, the amino acid chains subsequently fold into unique three
dimensional globules.>The final conformation (shape) of the protein
reflects a balance of electrical charges among its constituent amino acids.

>

The three dimensional morphology of folded proteins endows their
surfaces with specifically shaped clefts and pockets.>Molecules and ions
possessing complementary physical shapes and electrical charges will
bind to a protein?s surface clefts and pockets with the specificity of a
lock-and-key. Binding of another molecule alters the protein?s
electrical charge distribution. In response, the protein?s amino acid
chain will spontaneously refold to rebalance the charge
distribution.>Refolding changes the protein?s conformation.>In shifting
from one conformation to the next, the protein expresses movement.
Protein conformational movements are harnessed by the cell to carry out
physiologic functions. The work generated by protein movement is
responsible for "life."

A number of the twenty amino acids comprising the protein?s chain are
non-polar (hydrophobic, oil-loving). The hydrophobic portions of
proteins seek stability by inserting themselves into the membrane?s
lipid core. The polar (water-loving) portions of these proteins extend
from either or both of the membrane?s water-covered surfaces. Proteins
incorporated within the membrane are called /integral membrane proteins/
(IMPs).

Membrane IMPs can be functionally subdivided into two classes:
/receptors/ and /effectors/. Receptors are /input/ devices that respond
to environmental signals. Effectors are /output/ devices that activate
cellular processes. A family of /processor proteins/, located in the
cytoplasm beneath the membrane, serve to link signal-receiving receptors
with action-producing effectors.

Receptors are molecular "antennas" that recognize environmental signals.
Some receptor antennas extend inward from the membrane?s cytoplasmic
face.>These receptors "read" the internal milieu and provide awareness
of cytoplasmic conditions. Other receptors extending from the cell?s
outer surface provide awareness of external environmental signals.

Conventional biomedical sciences hold that environmental "information"
can /only/ be carried by the substance of molecules (/Science/ 1999,
284:79-109). According to this notion, receptors only recognize
"signals" that /physically/ complement their surface features. This
materialistic belief is maintained even though it has been amply
demonstrated that protein receptors respond to vibrational frequencies.
Through a process known as /electroconformational coupling /(Tsong,
/Trends in Biochem. Sci. /1989, 14:89-92), resonant vibrational energy
fields can alter the balance of charges in a protein.>In a harmonic
energy field, receptors will change their conformation. Consequently,
membrane receptors respond to both physical and energetic environmental
information.

A receptor?s "activated" conformation /informs/ the cell of a signal?s
existence. Changes in receptor conformation provide for cellular
"awareness." In its "activated" conformation, a signal-receiving
receptor may bind to either a specific function-producing /effector
protein/ or to intermediary /processor protein/. Receptor proteins
return to their original "inactive" conformation and detach from other
proteins when the signal ceases.

The family of effector proteins represent "output" devices.>There are
three different types of effectors, /transport proteins/, /enzymes/ /and
cytoskeletal proteins/.>Transporters, which include the extensive family
of /channels/, serve to transport molecules and information from one
side of the membrane barrier to the other.>Enzymes are responsible for
metabolic synthesis and degradation.>Cytoskeletal proteins regulate the
shape and motility of cells.>

Effector proteins generally possess two conformations: an active
configuration in which the protein expresses its function; and a
"resting" conformation in which the protein is inactive.>For example, a
channel protein in its active conformation>possesses an open pore
through which specific ions or molecules traverse the membrane
barrier.>In returning to an inactive conformation, protein refolding
constricts the conducting channel and the flow of ions or molecules ceases.

Putting all the pieces together we are provide with insight as to how
the cell?s "brain" processes information and elicits behavior. The
innumerable molecular and radiant energy signals in a cell's environment
creates a virtual cacophony of information. In a manner resembling a
biological Fourier transform, individual surface receptors (Fig. H)
sense the apparently chaotic environment and filter out specific
frequencies as behavioral signals. Receipt of a resonant signal (Fig. I,
arrow) induces a conformational change in the cytoplasmic portion of the
receptor (Fig. I, arrowhead).>This conformational change enables the
receptor to complex with a specific effector IMP (Fig. J, in this case a
/channel/ IMP). Binding of the receptor protein (Fig. K) in turn elicits
a conformational change in the effector protein (Fig. L, channel opens).
Activated receptors can turn on enzyme pathways, induce structural
reorganization and motility or activate transport of uniquely pulsed
electrical signals and ions across the membrane.

Processor proteins serve as "multiplex" devices in that they can
increase the versatility of the signal system. Such proteins interface
receptors with effector proteins (P in figure M).>By "programming"
processor protein coupling, a variety of inputs can be linked with a
variety of outputs. Processor proteins provide for a large behavioral
repertoire using a limited number of IMPs.

Effector IMPs convert receptor-mediated environmental signals into
biological behavior. The output function of some effector proteins might
represent the full extent of an elicited behavior.>However, in most
cases, the output of effector IMPs actually serve as a secondary
"signal" which penetrates the cell and activates behavior of other
cytoplasmic protein pathways.>Activated effector proteins also serve as
/transcription factors/, signals that elicit gene expression.

The behavior of the cell is controlled by the combined actions of
coupled receptors and effector IMPs. Receptors provide "awareness of the
environment" and effector proteins convert that awareness into "physical
sensation." By strict definition, a receptor-effector complex represents
a fundamental /unit of perception/. Protein perception units provide the
foundation of biological consciousness. Perceptions "control" cell
behavior, though in truth, a cell is actually "controlled" by /beliefs/,
since perceptions may not necessarily be accurate.

The cell membrane is an organic information processor.>It senses the
environment and converts that awareness into "information" that can
influence the activity of protein pathways and control the expression of
the genes.>A description of the membrane?s structure and function reads
as follows: (A) based upon the organization of its phospholipid
molecules, the membrane is a /liquid crystal/; B) the regulated
transport of information across the hydrophobic barrier by IMP effector
proteins renders the membrane a /semiconductor/; and (C) the membrane is
endowed with IMPs that function as /gates/ (receptors) /and channels/.
As a *liquid crystal semiconductor with gates and channels*, the
membrane is an information processing /transistor/, an organic /computer
chip/.>

Each receptor-effector complex represents a biological BIT, a single
unit of perception.>Though this hypothesis was first formally presented
in 1986 (Lipton 1986, /Planetary Assoc. for Clean Energy Newsletter
5:4/), the concept has since been technologically verified.>Cornell and
others (/Nature/ 1997, 387:580-584), linked a membrane to a gold foil
substrate. By controlling the electrolytes between the membrane and the
foil, they were able to digitize the opening and closing of
receptor-activated channels. The cell and a chip are homologous structures.

The cell is a carbon-based "computer chip" that reads the
environment.>Its "keyboard" is comprised of receptors.>Environmental
information is entered via its protein "keys.">The data is transduced
into biological behavior by effector proteins. The IMP BITs serve as
switches that regulate cell functions and gene expression.>The nucleus
represents a "hard disk" with DNA-coded software. Recent advances in
molecular biology emphasize the read/write nature of this hard drive.

Interestingly, the thickness of the membrane (about 7.5 nm) is fixed by
the dimensions of the phospholipid bilayer.>Since membrane IMPs are
approximately 6-8 nm in diameter, they can only form a monolayer in the
membrane. >IMP units can not stack upon one another, the addition of
more perception units is directly linked to an increase in membrane
surface area. By this understanding, evolution, the expansion of
awareness (i.e., the addition of more IMPs) would most effectively be
modeled using /fractal geometry/.>The fractal nature of biology can be
observed in the structural and functional reiterations observed among
the hierarchy of the cell, multicellular organisms (man) and the
communities of multicellular organisms (human society).

This new perception on cell control mechanisms frees us from the
limitations of genetic determinism.>Rather than behaving as programmed
genetic automatons, biological behavior is dynamically linked to the
environment. Though this reductionist approach has highlighted the
mechanism of the individual perception proteins, an understanding of the
processing mechanism emphasizes the holistic nature of biological
organisms.>The expression of the cell reflects the recognition of /all/
perceived environmental stimuli, both physical and energetic.
Consequently, the "Heart of Energy Medicine" may truly be found in the
magic of the membrane.>

*References and Notes*

1. H. F. Nijhout, /BioEssays/, 12(9) (John Wiley and Sons, New York,
NY,1990) pp.441-446

2. B. H. Lipton, et al., /Differentiation/, 46(Springer-Verlag,
Heidelberg, FRG, 1991) pp.117-133

3. N. Williams, /Science/, 277 (AAAS, Washington, DC 1997) pp476-477

4. T. Y. Tsong, /Trends in Biochemical Sciences/ 14 (Elsevier, West
Sussex, UK 1989) pp. 89-92

5. B. H. Lipton, /Planetary Association for Clean Energy Newsletter/, 5
(Planetary Association for Clean Energy, Hull, Quebec, 1986) pg. 4

6. B. A. Cornell, et al.>/Nature/ 387 (Nature Publishing Group, London,
UK,1997) pp. 580-584

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