Cell Thermoregulation: Problems, Advances and Perspectives

Abstract

Thermoregulation at organism level is the well-established fact. The question on possibility of thermoregulation at the cell level remains opened. Based on study of distribution of chromosomal heterochromatin regions (HRs) in various human populations, in norm and at some forms of pathology the hypothesis about thermoregulation existence at the cell level has been presented. The essence of hypothesis of cell thermoregulation (СТ) is elimination of the temperature difference between the nucleus and cytoplasm when the nucleus temperature becomes higher than the cytoplasm temperature. The nucleus, in contrast to the cytoplasm, cannot conduct heat directly in the extracellular space, from where the heat is taken by the circulating flow of sap, lymph and blood. Thus, the nucleus can conduct heat only in the cytoplasm. With this, the nucleus has two options for the dissipation of heat surplus: either by increasing its volume or increasing the heat conductivity of the nuclear envelope. As the first option is limited, and the second one is hampered because of thickness of the cell membranes, apparently the higher eukaryotes took advantage of the opportunity of a dense layer of peripheral condensed chromatin (CC) as heat conductor for a more efficient elimination of the temperature difference between the nucleus and cytoplasm. The СС localized between a nucleus and cytoplasm is made of different types of chromosomal HRs. For this reason, СС is subject to wide variability in population. Obviously, the density of the СС packing depends on the type and quantity of chromosomal HRs in its structure that can affect upon its heat-conducting ability. If the situation is this then we are entitled to expect a new type of variability with all consequences resulting from here.