Introduction to Part III

Abstract

Living cells are highly integrated dynamic systems composed of soft materials and a large variety of regulatory proteins. The internal architecture is by no means static, but highly dynamic allowing for directed responses to external and internal stimuli. This is a crucial design element for many cellular phenomena. Intensive research over the last decade has provided evidence that cooperativity and fluctuation phenomena play an important role in cell biology, in particular on the level of the very fundamental processes such as cytoskeletal organization, cell motility, and force generation by molecular motors. The reviews in this chapter span the range from molecular approaches focusing on the mechanical and dynamical properties of individual proteins to a more system-based view of whole cells and even cell complexes.