COMPARTMENTATION DETERMINES THE DYNAMICS OF MULTICELLULAR SYSTEMS GROWTH

The dependance of the growth rate on the geometric dimensions and tile compartmentation kinetics were examined for various multicellular sys tems. Experimental results were obtained for the objects differing in various characteristics, for prokaryotes (cyanobacterium Anabaena vari abilis) and eukaryotes (Neurospora crassa mycelial fungus strains R-2 and White collar-1) and mammalian cultured cell lines (Vero and SVK14) . The formation of new compartments during growth correlates with the cyclic changes in the specific growth rate for all the objects. The sp ecific character of the mammalian cell monolayer in culture did not al low the formation of new compartments; a decrease in the specific grow th rate of these objects was irreversible. It is stated, that the char acteristic spatial scales of the electro-diffusive communications dete rmine the dimensions of a compartment of the order of 1 mm. The disrup tion of the coordination of tire cooperative behavior at distances of 1 mm (as identified by the decrease in the specific growth rate) deter mines the Fragmentation of cyanobacterial trichomes, branching of myce lial fungus; and development of the processes responsible for the cont act inhibition of cultured mammalian cell growth.