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Towards a new classification of intracellular particle movements based on quantitative analyses

A survey study of organelle movements in a variety of cell types of plant and animal origin was made with the aid of video-enhanced contrast, differential interference contrast (AVEC-DIC) microscopy followed by fine analysis of the motile behavior of the individual organelles. We found that there exists besides Brownian motion a wide spectrum of active motions in cells, i.e. motion that is directionally biased through the expenditure of metabolic energy. The types of active motion seen range from a continuous motion (sometimes appearing as streaming) in plant cells and neurons to various types of less ordered and less well directed motion. We did not see any clear-cut qualitative difference between plant and animal cells or between systems presumed to be actin- and microtubule-based. A preliminary classification of the types of active motion is presented. The ongoing research activities, which aim at a more precise definition of the different types of motion by a set of quantitative parameters, are described, and the progress made so far is reported.