Biological role for synthesis and release of isoprene by photosynthesizing cells in view of the entropy phenomenon

Abstract

In this review, the issues of photobiological synthesis and release of isoprene by chlorophyll-containing cells are considered from the viewpoint of thermodynamics of open nonequilibrium systems, with an emphasis on fundamental significance of the entropy phenomenon. The excretory function of the living cell is envisioned as a result of the total release of energy by dissipative structures. The living cell metabolism represents a continuous transformation of a huge number of biologically significant chemical substances. The complex of these transformations results in maintenance of cell homeostasis. The cell functioning can be viewed as energy flows and matter conversions occurring on biological matrices. The flows of irreversible metabolic reactions proceed under steady-state condition of the system and ensure its balanced disequilibrium. The hypotheses considered in this review are based on the principles of energy dynamics; they permit the description of cell metabolism from the laws of nonequilibrium thermodynamics of open systems. It is concluded that the biogenic release of isoprene ensures entropy dissipation, which is required for regulation of fluxes leading to the formation of terpenoids and allowing the maintenance of cell homeostasis.