Phase transitions occur throughout nature. The most familiar example is the one that occurs in water the abrupt, discontinuous transition from a liquid to a gas or a solid, induced by a subtle environmental change. Practically magical, the ever-so-slight shift of temperature or pressure can induce an astonishing transition from one entity to another entity that bears little resemblance to the first.

So "convenient" a feature is seen throughout the domains of physics and chemistry, and one is therefore led to wonder whether it might also be common to biology. Indeed, many of the most fundamental cellular processes are arguably attributable to radical structural shifts triggered by subtle changes that cross a critical threshold. These processes include transport, motion, signaling, division, and other fundamental aspects of cellular function.

Largely on the basis of this radical concept, a symposium was organized in Poitiers, France, to bring together people who have additional evidence for the role of phase transitions in biology, and this book is a compendium of some of the more far-reaching of those presentations, as well as several others that seemed to the editors to be compelling.

The book should be suitable for anyone interested in the nature of biological function, particularly those who tire of lumbering along well trodden pathways of pursuit, and are eager to hear something fresh. The book is replete with fresh interpretations of familiar phenomena, and should serve as an excellent gateway to deeper understanding."

This book deals with the role of water in cell function. Though long recognized to be central to cell function, water's role has not received the attention lately that it deserves. This book brings the role of water front and central. It presents the most recent work of the leading authorities on the subject, culminating in a series of sometimes astonishing observations. Water is a subject of interest to virtually everyone. It is becoming increasingly important in health therapy, in the environment, in chemistry and physics, and certainly in cells. Thus, this groundbreaking volume will be of great interest to a broad audience, well beyond those in biology alone. The reader will be richly awarded with insights difficult or impossible to obtain in current textbooks, which generally treat water merely as a background carrier with limited significance.

Elastic filaments refer mainly to titin, the largest of all known proteins. Titin was discovered initially in muscle cells, where it interconnects the thick filament with the Z-line. Titin forms a molecular spring that is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of contracting muscle, ensuring efficient muscle contraction. More recently, it has become clear that titin is not restricted to muscle cells alone. For example, titin is found in chromosomes of neurons and also in blood platelets. This topic is fast becoming a focal point for research in understanding viscoelastic properties at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. In titin may lie a generic basis for biological viscoelasticity. It has become clear that titin may hold the key to certain clinical anomalies. For example, it is clear that titin-based ventricular stiffness is modulated by calcium and that titin is responsible for the altered stiffness in cardiomyopathies. It is also clear from evidence from a group of Finnish families that titin mutations may underlie some muscular dystrophies and that with other mutations chromatids fail to separate during mitosis. Thus, it is clear that this protein will have important clinical implications stemming from its biomechanical role. One aspect of this field is the bringing together of bioengineers with clinical researchers and biologists. Genetic and biochemical aspects of titin-related proteins are being studied together with front-line engineering approaches designed to measure the mechanics of titin either in small aggregates or in single molecules.

Elastic filaments refer mainly to titin, the largest of all known proteins. Titin was discovered initially in muscle cells, where it interconnects the thick filament with the Z-line. Titin forms a molecular spring that is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of contracting muscle, ensuring efficient muscle contraction. More recently, it has become clear that titin is not restricted to muscle cells alone. For example, titin is found in chromosomes of neurons and also in blood platelets. This topic is fast becoming a focal point for research in understanding viscoelastic properties at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. In titin may lie a generic basis for biological viscoelasticity. It has become clear that titin may hold the key to certain clinical anomalies. For example, it is clear that titin-based ventricular stiffness is modulated by calcium and that titin is responsible for the altered stiffness in cardiomyopathies. It is also clear from evidence from a group of Finnish families that titin mutations may underlie some muscular dystrophies and that with other mutations chromatids fail to separate during mitosis. Thus, it is clear that this protein will have important clinical implications stemming from its biomechanical role. One aspect of this field is the bringing together of bioengineers with clinical researchers and biologists. Genetic and biochemical aspects of titin-related proteins are being studied together with front-line engineering approaches designed to measure the mechanics of titin either in small aggregates or in single molecules.

In contrast to common practice, we have always tried to include as many discussions held at the meeting in our proceedings as possible, so as to enable readers to properly evaluate each paper presented, as well as to learn of future prospects in this field of research. Although the policy of including discussions occasions a long publication delay, we believe that it is worth repeating in our future publication, as we have met a number of young investigators fascinated by the discussions in our proceedings.... In the concluding remarks in this volume, Dr. Hugh E. Huxley, a principal architect of the sliding filament mechanism of muscle contraction, states that the molecular mechanism of myofilament sliding remains mysterious to all of us. We hope that this volume will stimulate muscle investigators to design and perform novel experiments to clarify the mysteries in muscle contraction.' Haruo Sugi and Gerald H. Pollack, excerpted from the Preface.

This book deals with the role of water in cell function. Long recognized to be central to cell function, water 's role has not received the attention lately that it deserves. This book brings the role of water front and central. It presents the most recent work of the leading authorities on the subject, culminating in a series of sometimes astonishing observations. This volume will be of interest to a broad audience.

An award-winning book that challenges the current wisdom of how cells work in a visionary, provocative, and accessible way... reads like a detective story. This highly praised book emphasises the role of cell water and the gel-like nature of the cell, building on these features to explore the mechanisms of communication, transport, contraction, division, and other essential cell functions. Lucidly written for the non-expert, the book is profound enough for biologists, chemists, physicists and engineers to devour.