FREEDOM FROM WHOLISM IN MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS - A POSSIBLE ROLE OF TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES

Wholism, known as 'homeostasis' in multicellular organisms, is fundamentally expressed in the regulation of cell proliferation and of the metabolism of individual cells. Control mechanisms represent an overriding control of the autonomy of cells in multicellular organisms. Negative regulation by suppressor genes including tumor suppressor genes is essential to maintain homeostasis in these organisms. Without wholistic regulation, the cellular society of multicellular organisms would progress from bad to worse, with eventual destruction of the whole system. The enhancement of division and differentiation of cells transduced by water-soluble factors may be considered as the controlling structure on the tumor suppressor genes. In microevolution, cell killing by the immunosurveillance systems directed at the external environments has been avoided for the 'self' cells in general, since the multicellular organism may not be considered as only a crowd of single cells.