The role of aqueous interfaces in the cell

The cell is rich with biopolymeric surfaces. Yet, the role of these surfaces and attendant surface-water interfaces has received little attention among biologists, most of whom consider water as a neutral carrier. This review aims to begin bridging the gap between biology and interface science-to show that a surface-oriented approach has power to bring fresh insights into an otherwise impenetrably complex maze. In this approach the cell is treated as a polymer gel. If the cell is a gel, then a logical approach to the understanding of cell function is through an understanding of gel function. Great strides have been made recently in understanding the principles of polymer-gel dynamics, and particularly the role of the polymer-water interface. It has become clear that a central mechanism in biology is the phase-transition-a major structural change prompted by a subtle change of environment. Phase-transitions are capable of doing work and such work could be responsible for much of the work of the cell. Here, we pursue this approach. We set up a polymer-gel-based foundation for cell behavior, and explore the extent to which this foundation explains how the cell achieves its everyday tasks. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.