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Polarity in Biological Systems

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Development

Abstract

Polarity is a fundamental property of biological systems. In the biological context, we define polarity as the persistent asymmetrical and ordered distribution of structures along an axis. Polarity is all pervading. Polarity allows the development of functional complexity, not only in multicellular organisms, but also in cells and in subcellular structures. Polar organization allows regions having different functions to be physically related in a manner appropriate for integration of function within the whole organism. Increased functional complexity is seen as being of adaptive value; for example, complexity extends the range of an organism by increasing its tolerance of diverse environments. Most of the preceding pages deal with some aspect of development involving polarity. In this chapter, we will examine the problems of programming polarity during development and its consequences.

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Authors
  1. David J. Cove
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  2. Ian A. Hope
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  3. Ralph S. Quatrano
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. MPI für Molekulare Genetik, Ihnestraße 73, D-14195, Berlin, Germany

    Vincenzo E. A. Russo

  2. Leeds Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Agriculture, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS29JT, Great Britain

    David J. Cove

  3. Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 80302, CO, USA

    Lois G. Edgar

  4. Whitehead Institute, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, 02141, MA, USA

    Rudolf Jaenisch

  5. MPI für Züchtungsforschung, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, Köln, D-50829, Germany

    Francesco Salamini

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© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg New York

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Cove, D.J., Hope, I.A., Quatrano, R.S. (1999). Polarity in Biological Systems. In: Russo, V.E.A., Cove, D.J., Edgar, L.G., Jaenisch, R., Salamini, F. (eds) Development. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59828-9_32

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59828-9_32

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64141-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59828-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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