Progress to understand the intercellular interactions of microorganisms has been linked to the investigation of prokaryotic signaling molecules; however, there is increasing evidence of physically mediated communica­tion for some events, including cell division, adaptation and stress conditions [96]. The hypothesis that electromagnetic forces have a fund mental role in organization and transport of entities is supported by indirect and direct measurements of the electromagnetic fields around living cells.

3.4.2.7 ELECTROMAGNETIC CELL FUNCTIONS

The electromagnetic fields serve as mediators for the interconnection of the organism with the environment as well as between organisms. Electric dipole and multipole moments are common to every biological structure and macromolecule. Oscillating multipole EMF may be generated as a result of interaction of these dipoles and multipoles with electromagnetic emitters and transceivers [97]. Thus the fields produced by the organisms play an important role in the coordination and communication of physi­ological systems and informational interactions in addition to energetic interactions which play a significant role [98]. The endogenous physio­logical EM rhythms control and determine the growth and differentiation of cells and are essential for spatiotemporal organization at the subcellu­lar, cellular and organism level [70]. With the recent development of the “nanosized voltmeter” using a voltagedependent fluorescent nanosensor (E-PEBBLE), the first complete three-dimensional profiling throughout the entire volume of living cells was accomplished. The results indicated that the endogenous electric fields generated penetrate much deeper into the cytosol and non-membrane regions than previously estimated. These measurements support the picture of an electrically complex environment inside the cell [87].

Ions are the transducers of information in the regulation of cell struc­ture. Modification in the interfacial structure of cell membrane alters its ionic composition and constitutes electrochemical information transfer. This alters biochemical and mechanical transport properties of the mem­brane that is interpreted by the cell as requiring a change in its function which could trigger specific enzyme activity [62,73]. Thousands of chemi­cal reactions are carried out simultaneously and successively in different cellular compartments and are closely coordinated and linked together. The importance of vibrational coherence in the form of electrical and me­chanical oscillations has been proven through the experiments [99]. It has been shown for instance that endogenous electric fields exhibiting coher­ent behavior can have a dominant effect on directed transport of molecules and electrons such that the probability to reach the target is enhanced in comparison with random thermal motion alone [97].