Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
07:59
Temporal Quantification of MAPK Induced Expression in Single Yeast Cells
Published on: October 4, 2013
Modeling specificity in the yeast MAPK signaling networks.
Xiufen Zou1, Tao Peng, Zishu Pan
1College of Mathematics and Statistics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|November 6, 2007
Summary
Yeast cells use complex signaling pathways to respond to different stimuli. This study reveals how their mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) network maintains specificity, preventing errors through mechanisms like scaffolding and feedback control.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Systems Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cells integrate multiple signals via signaling pathways to ensure specific responses.
- Cross-talk between pathways can lead to erroneous cellular behavior.
- Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae exhibits three interconnected mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades with shared components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand the specificity of a model yeast MAPK signaling network with shared components.
- To extend theoretical frameworks for analyzing signaling network specificity to include interacting pathways.
- To investigate mechanisms conferring specificity and fidelity in cellular signaling.
Main Methods:
- Developed an integrative mathematical model for three interacting yeast MAPK cascades.
- Performed simulations under various stimulus conditions (single, dual, and triple).
- Systematically investigated pathway interactions and calculated specificity and fidelity using a novel concept.
Main Results:
- The yeast MAPK network achieves specificity and fidelity by filtering spurious cross-talk.
- Mechanisms such as scaffolding, cross-inhibition, and feedback control contribute to specificity.
- Pbs2 and Hog1 were identified as essential for maintaining signaling specificity.
Conclusions:
- The study provides insights into the integration of signaling pathways in biological systems.
- Novel mechanisms conferring specificity in cellular signaling networks were elucidated.
- The findings highlight the robustness of the yeast MAPK network in managing complex stimuli.
Related Concept Videos
01:07MAPK Signaling Cascades
Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
01:19Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
01:28Yeast Signaling
Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but unlike bacteria, they are eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus). Cell signaling in yeast is similar to signaling in other eukaryotic cells. A ligand, such as a protein or a small molecule released from a yeast cell, attaches to a receptor on the cell surface. The binding stimulates second-messenger kinases to activate or inactivate transcription factors that further regulate gene expression. Many of the yeast intracellular signaling cascades have similar...
01:25cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways
Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP) is an essential second messenger that activates protein kinase A (PKA) and regulates various biological processes. A single epinephrine molecule binds to GPCR and activates several heterotrimeric G proteins, each stimulating multiple adenylyl cyclase, amplifying the signal, and synthesizing large numbers of cAMP molecules. Small changes in cAMP concentration affect PKA activity. The binding of four cAMP molecules induces a conformational change in PKA,...
01:22PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast, mTORC2 consists of a rapamycin-insensitive companion...
01:42Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)
Microtubule function and architecture are regulated by an array of specialized proteins called microtubule-associated proteins or MAPs. These proteins are widespread across different organisms and have conserved protein motifs, like the multi-TOG domain for tubulin binding found in the CLASP family of MAPs. Some MAPs are lineage-specific based on their conserved domains. Their functions depend upon the cytoskeletal architecture and cell type they are located within. In-plant cells, a specific...