Uniform hypothesis of cell behavior--movement, contact inhibition of movement, adhesion, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, pinocytosis, division, contact inhibition of division, fusion.

The cell has been represented as a charged liquid drop. Contrary to the DLVO-theory, the effect of the surface potential upon the value of the interfacial tension of the cell membrane has also been taken into consideration. The cell membrane has visco-elastic properties and its constituents may move against each other. Cell movement is caused by the appearance of a small number of the electrically charged constituents of the cell membrane on the leading edge of the cell. This produces a local decrease in the surface tension and the cell membrane expansion. At the moment of contact between two cells proton transfers occur between the strongly negatively charged microvilli of one cell and the body of the other, analogous to a condenser breakdown. This, through the effect on the surface tension, causes contact inhibition of movement. The distribution of the proton dissociable groups modifies the interaction between the cells (differentiation) and between the cell and the substratum (adhesion). Adsorption of the charged compounds at the surface of the cell membrane, decreasing the surface potential and increasing the surface tension, causes the phenomena of chemotaxis, phagocytosis and pinocytosis. Cell division, considered in the terms of the surface energy, requires an adequate supply of considerable quantities of energy inversely proportional to the surface potential value. In case of a reduction of the distance between the cells, their surface potential and the energetic barrier of the cell division processes increases, and causes contact inhibition of cell division. Due to their high charge, division of neoplastic cells is inhibited much later than division of normal cells, or is completely ininhibited due to geometric conditions. Fusion of the cell membrane in the intra-cellular and intercellular processes is a reverse process in relation to the cell division.