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

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Matrix composition modulates cancer cell phenotypes and secretions in a blood-brain barrier organ-on-a-chip model: Comparison of collagen and hyaluronic acid.

Biomaterials·2026
Same author

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, Pancreatic, and Prostate, Version 2.2026.

Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN·2026
Same author

Persistent memory in network topologies following temporary stimuli.

iScience·2025
Same author

Coevolution of cooperative lifestyles and reduced cancer prevalence in mammals.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Precision Oncology for High-Grade Gliomas: A Tumor Organoid Model for Adjuvant Treatment Selection.

Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
Same author

Interplay between malic enzyme 2, de novo serine synthesis, and the malate-aspartate shuttle drives metabolic adaptation in triple-negative breast cancer.

Cancer & metabolism·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Optogenetic Signaling Activation in Zebrafish Embryos
07:18

Optogenetic Signaling Activation in Zebrafish Embryos

Published on: October 27, 2023

Retroactive signaling in short signaling pathways.

Jacques-Alexandre Sepulchre1, Sofía D Merajver, Alejandra C Ventura

  • 1Institut Non Linéaire de Nice, UMR 7335 CNRS-University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Valbonne, France. jacques-alexandre.sepulchre@inln.cnrs.fr

Plos One
|August 1, 2012
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces retroactive signaling, a novel concept where downstream components in biochemical pathways can influence upstream signaling. Researchers identified conditions for this effect in simple cascades, expanding to nonlinear pathways.

More Related Videos

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development
09:32

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development

Published on: June 15, 2017

Mimicking the Function of Signaling Proteins: Toward Artificial Signal Transduction Therapy
12:24

Mimicking the Function of Signaling Proteins: Toward Artificial Signal Transduction Therapy

Published on: September 29, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 20, 2026

Optogenetic Signaling Activation in Zebrafish Embryos
07:18

Optogenetic Signaling Activation in Zebrafish Embryos

Published on: October 27, 2023

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development
09:32

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development

Published on: June 15, 2017

Mimicking the Function of Signaling Proteins: Toward Artificial Signal Transduction Therapy
12:24

Mimicking the Function of Signaling Proteins: Toward Artificial Signal Transduction Therapy

Published on: September 29, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Systems Biology
  • Cell Signaling

Background:

  • Biochemical signaling typically operates in a unidirectional feedforward manner.
  • Covalent modification cycles are common in signal transduction.
  • Retroactivity in signaling cascades has been recently demonstrated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the concept and possibility of retroactive signaling.
  • To analyze retroactive signaling in the simplest case of stationary states of a bicyclic cascade.
  • To extend the analysis to nonlinear signaling pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of stationary states in a bicyclic cascade model.
  • Mathematical derivation of conditions for retroactive effects.
  • Extension of the model to nonlinear signaling pathways.

Main Results:

  • Identified conditions where upstream cycle variables are affected by downstream protein amounts or phosphatase activity.
  • Predicted characteristic ranges of downstream components for observable retroactive effects.
  • Demonstrated the possibility of retroactive signaling in nonlinear pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Retroactive signaling represents a new paradigm in biochemical communication.
  • The study provides a theoretical framework for understanding this phenomenon.
  • Further research can explore the biological relevance and implications of retroactive signaling.