Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

What is Cell Signaling?02:03

What is Cell Signaling?

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate to respond to the environment.
Overview of Cell Signaling01:23

Overview of Cell Signaling

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate with the environment.
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...
Amplifying Signals via Second Messengers01:15

Amplifying Signals via Second Messengers

Many receptor binding ligands are hydrophilic; they do not cross the cell membrane but bind to cell-surface receptors. Thus, their message must be relayed by second messengers present in the cell cytoplasm. There are several second messenger pathways, each with its own way of relaying information. For example, the G protein-coupled receptors can activate both phosphoinositol and cyclic AMP (cAMP) second messenger pathways. The phosphoinositol pathway is active when the receptor induces...
Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses01:22

Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses

The physiological function of a cell and cellular communication are outcomes of a range of extrinsic signals, intracellular signaling pathways, and cellular responses. No two cell types express the same repertoire of signaling components. Receptors are highly selective for their cognate ligands, but once activated, they can alter multiple cellular processes such as DNA transcription, protein synthesis, and metabolic activity. 
Graded and Abrupt Responses
Some signaling systems generate...
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces01:13

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue. 
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Signal Transduction: Overview01:26

Signal Transduction: Overview

Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. They respond to chemical signals, such as hormones, neurotransmitters, and other signaling molecules, initiating a series of molecular reactions to produce an appropriate response. This is called signal transduction. Cells also coordinate different responses elicited by the same signaling molecule via mediators, allowing molecular cross-talk.
Typically, signal transduction involves three...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Corrigendum to "Multifunctional piezoelectric surfaces enhanced with layer-by-layer coating for improved osseointegration and antibacterial performance" [Colloids Surf. B: Biointerfaces 243 (2024) 114123].

Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces·2026
Same author

TEGEST as promising tool for assessing the risk of perioperative neurocognitive disorders.

BMC geriatrics·2024
Same author

Multifunctional piezoelectric surfaces enhanced with layer-by-layer coating for improved osseointegration and antibacterial performance.

Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces·2024
Same author

Atypical dermoid cyst of the corpus callosum: a case report.

European review for medical and pharmacological sciences·2024
Same author

Registry-derived stage (RD-Stage) for capturing cancer stage at diagnosis for endometrial cancer.

BMC cancer·2023
Same author

[MICROSATELLITE INSTABILITY AND SURVIVAL IN PATIENTS WITH ENDOMETRIAL CANCER.]

Akusherstvo i ginekologiia·2018

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Imaging G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR)-mediated Signaling Events that Control Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium Discoideum
09:40

Imaging G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR)-mediated Signaling Events that Control Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium Discoideum

Published on: September 20, 2011

Gravity perception and signal transduction in single cells.

I Block1, A Wolke, W Briegleb

  • 1DLR (German Aerospace Establishment) Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Department of Biology, Cologne, Germany.

Acta Astronautica
|October 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

The giant amoeba Physarum polycephalum exhibits gravitaxis, orienting itself using gravity. This study reveals its acceleration-sensing mechanism involves changes in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling.

More Related Videos

A Simplified System for Evaluating Cell Mechanosensing and Durotaxis In Vitro
09:50

A Simplified System for Evaluating Cell Mechanosensing and Durotaxis In Vitro

Published on: August 27, 2015

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events
08:30

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events

Published on: August 27, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Imaging G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR)-mediated Signaling Events that Control Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium Discoideum
09:40

Imaging G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR)-mediated Signaling Events that Control Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium Discoideum

Published on: September 20, 2011

A Simplified System for Evaluating Cell Mechanosensing and Durotaxis In Vitro
09:50

A Simplified System for Evaluating Cell Mechanosensing and Durotaxis In Vitro

Published on: August 27, 2015

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events
08:30

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events

Published on: August 27, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Astrobiology

Background:

  • Cellular signal processing shares fundamental mechanisms across unicellular and multicellular organisms.
  • Free-living cells, like Physarum polycephalum, utilize gravity for spatial orientation (gravitaxis).
  • Understanding cellular responses to gravity is crucial for astrobiology and fundamental cell biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the gravitaxis and gravity-modulated contraction rhythms of Physarum polycephalum.
  • To determine the acceleration-sensitivity threshold of the gravireceptor in Physarum polycephalum.
  • To elucidate the signal transduction pathway involved in the cell's response to acceleration stimuli.

Main Methods:

  • Experiments included 180-degree turn tests, simulated near-weightlessness (clinostat), and actual spaceflight (Spacelab D1, IML-1, IML-2).
  • Acceleration-sensitivity threshold was determined to understand stimulus perception.
  • Ground-based experiments analyzed second messenger levels, specifically cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP).

Main Results:

  • Physarum polycephalum demonstrated gravitaxis and modulation of its rhythmic contractions by gravity.
  • The IML-2 experiment provided data on the gravireceptor's acceleration-sensitivity threshold.
  • Acceleration stimuli were found to induce changes in intracellular cAMP levels.

Conclusions:

  • Physarum polycephalum's response to acceleration involves a conserved second messenger pathway.
  • The findings suggest a commonality in signal transduction mechanisms for gravity response across different organisms.
  • This research provides insights into the biophysical basis of cellular graviperception.