Carcinogenesis as reversal of symbiogenesis
Schwemmler, W.
Inst. für Pflanzenphysiologie und Mikrobiologie, FU Berlin, c/o Krahmerstr.6, D-12207 Berlin, Germany
In the egg of the leafhopper Euscelidius pleomorphic forms of mitochondria are spread gradient like: The anterior pole is dominated by aerobic compact structures with complete respiratory chain, the posterior pole by anaerobic hyaline forms which probably do not have any cytochromoxidase. The inactivation of the mitochondrial compact structure during oogenesis causes generally headless abdomina which can grow in a tumor-like manner.In addition there are two types of symbiotic bacteria stored in the posterior egg pole, which are called bacterioplasts due to their genetic semi-autonomy, like organelles. Each of these two types shows comparable pleomorphic stages: The extracellular, respiring forms of infection are for transmission the next generation, the intracelluar, fermentative stages of vegetative structures mainly serve their reproduction. The elimination of the egg bacterioplasts leads to head-thorax embryos without abdomina.
From the data of structural and biochemical analysis, one can conclude that there is an intact interaction between fermentation and respiration for normal regulation of each eukaryotic cell: The elimination of the aerobic respiratory gradient provokes carcinogenesis. In a certain sense carcinogenesis is ontogenetically a return to the embryonic phase by mutation, while it is, in a formal phylogenetic sense, the functional loss of the organelles which were once respiratory symbionts. This insight can be called the Aposymbiosis Theory of Carcinogenesis.
| LOCATION |
DATE |
TIME |
| Lecture Hall II |
Tuesday, April 7 |
02:00 pm |