Cooperative Phenomena in Biology

Book excerpt: Cooperative Phenomena in Biology deals with cooperation in biology and covers topics such as cooperative specific adsorption; the kinetics of oxygen binding to hemoglobin; allosteric control of cooperative adsorption and conformation changes; and cooperativity in biological surfaces responding to topical treatment. The use of Monte Carlo methods to investigate the behavior of cooperative Ising models is also described. This book is comprised of five chapters and opens with a discussion on the phenomenon of cooperative specific adsorption and its importance for the understanding of fundamental biological phenomena. The derivation of the cooperative specific adsorption isotherm both stochastically and on the basis of statistical mechanics is explained. The next chapter reviews the theory of the allosteric control of cooperative adsorption and conformation changes and outlines a molecular model for physiological activities according to the association-induction hypothesis. The reader is also introduced to a kinetic equation for hemoglobin oxygenation based on the infinite chain; the use of bioelectrometric methods to study solute interactions with biocolloidal surfaces responding to topical treatment; and the use of Monte Carlo computations to determine the behavior of cooperative Ising models. This monograph is intended for biologists, physicists, chemists, and mathematicians.