Lamarckian evolution of epigenome from open quantum systems and entanglement

Abstract

We develop a quantum-like (QL) model of cellular evolution based on the theory of open quantum systems and entanglement between epigenetic markers in a cell. This approach is applied to modeling of epigenetic evolution of cellular populations. We point out that recently experimental genetics discovered numerous phenomena of cellular evolution adaptive to the pressure of the environment. In such phenomena epigenetic changes are fixed in one generation and, hence, the Darwinian natural selection model cannot be applied. A number of prominent genetists stress the Lamarckian character of epigenetic evolution. In quantum physics the dynamics of the state of a system (e.g. electron) contacting with an environment (bath) is described by the theory of open quantum systems. Therefore it is natural to apply this theory to model adaptive changes in the epigenome. Since evolution of the Lamarckian type is very rapid - changes in the epigenome have to be inherited in one generation - we have to find a proper mathematical description of such a speed up. In our model this is the entanglement of different epigenetic markers. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.