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Related Concept Videos

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...
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade01:22

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

When a ligand binds to a cell-surface receptor, the receptor's intracellular domain changes shape, which may either activate its enzyme function or allow its binding to other molecules. The initial signal is amplified by most signal transduction pathways. This means that a single ligand molecule can activate multiple molecules of a downstream target. Proteins that relay a signal are most commonly phosphorylated at one or more sites, activating or inactivating the protein. Kinases catalyze the...
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...
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...
Intracellular Signaling Cascades01:24

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Once a ligand binds to a receptor, the signal is transmitted through the membrane and into the cytoplasm. The continuation of a signal in this manner is called signal transduction. Signal transduction only occurs with cell-surface receptors, which cannot interact with most components of the cell, such as DNA. Only internal receptors can interact directly with DNA in the nucleus to initiate protein synthesis. When a ligand binds to its receptor, conformational changes occur that affect the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 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

Signalling over a distance: gradient patterns and phosphorylation waves within single cells.

Javier Muñoz-García1, Boris N Kholodenko

  • 1Systems Biology Ireland, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Biochemical Society Transactions
|September 25, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular information transfer is revolutionized by spatial patterns in protein activity. Bistable cycles drive waves of protein modification, controlled by enzyme rate ratios, enabling signal propagation.

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Imaging G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR)-mediated Signaling Events that Control Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium Discoideum
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Published on: September 20, 2011

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Dissection of Local Ca2+ Signals in Cultured Cells by Membrane-targeted Ca2+ Indicators
11:33

Dissection of Local Ca2+ Signals in Cultured Cells by Membrane-targeted Ca2+ Indicators

Published on: March 22, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Recent discoveries reveal phosphorylation gradients and microdomains influencing intracellular information transfer.
  • Spatial localization of opposing reactions in protein-modification cycles creates heterogeneous patterns and travelling waves.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review spatial patterns and signal transfer modes in phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and GDP/GTP exchange cycles.
  • To demonstrate how bistable activation-deactivation cycles initiate travelling protein-modification waves.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on spatial patterns in cellular signaling.
  • Theoretical modeling of bistable activation-deactivation cycles and wave propagation.
  • Analysis of enzyme kinetics and their role in signal transduction.

Main Results:

  • Spatial localization of opposing enzymatic reactions leads to stationary patterns and travelling waves.
  • Bistable switches in protein activity cycles initiate wave propagation from the plasma membrane to the nucleus.
  • Inactivation waves propagate in the reverse direction, initiated by increased deactivator activity.

Conclusions:

  • The ratio of opposing enzyme rates is a critical parameter governing the spread of activation and travelling waves.
  • Spatial organization of cellular processes is fundamental to information transfer and signal propagation.
  • Understanding these dynamics provides insights into cellular information processing and signaling mechanisms.