ABSTRACT A large amoeboid cell of the Physarum plasmodium moves away from UV and blue light, and the intracellular mechanism for this information transmission and processing is studied both biochemically and biophysically. Generation of superoxide is required for the photo-avoidance. Upon light stimulation polar spatial distribution of intracellular ATP turns into way, and the cytoskeletons seem to be organized according to these chemical patterns. Chemical oscillations and propagation of phase waves are utilized for transmitting and processing the sensed information through the whole cell. Thus, the photobehavior in the slime mold is related to non-linear collective dynamics in a chemical system far away from equilibrium.
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