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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Cell Signaling01:23

Overview of Cell Signaling

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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...
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What is Cell Signaling?02:03

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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.
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Gap Junctions01:37

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Multicellular organisms employ a variety of ways for cells to communicate with each other. Gap junctions are specialized proteins that form pores between neighboring cells in animals, connecting the cytoplasm between the two, and allowing for the exchange of molecules and ions. They are found in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species, mediate numerous functions including cell differentiation and development, and are associated with numerous human diseases, including cardiac and...
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Gap Junctions01:27

Gap Junctions

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The cytoplasm of adjacent animal cells can exchange small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers via the communication channels which form the gap junctions. These junctions comprise a few hundred to thousands of molecular channels, each made of two halves, called the connexon hemichannel. A connexon is a hexamer of six transmembrane connexin proteins, which assemble radially, thus forming a pore or channel in the center. One connexon hemichannel docks with a corresponding connexon on the...
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Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses01:22

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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. 
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Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

Contact-dependent Signaling

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Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Genetic Barcoding with Fluorescent Proteins for Multiplexed Applications
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Genetic Barcoding with Fluorescent Proteins for Multiplexed Applications

Published on: April 14, 2015

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Multiplexing cell-cell communication.

John T Sexton1, Jeffrey J Tabor1,2

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.

Molecular Systems Biology
|July 17, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

We engineered a synthetic biology system allowing one communication channel to transmit two distinct cell conversations. This multiplexed cell communication advances multicellular engineering and metabolic pathway coordination.

Keywords:
CRISPRicell-cell communicationgenetic circuit designmultiplexerssynthetic biology

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Area of Science:

  • Synthetic biology
  • Cellular communication
  • Genetic engineering

Background:

  • Multicellular behaviors like biofilm and tissue growth necessitate complex cell-cell communication.
  • Existing synthetic biology tools offer limited capacity for simultaneous intercellular information exchange.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer a novel, genetically encoded channel selector device for synthetic cell-cell communication.
  • To enable a single communication system to transmit two independent intercellular conversations.

Main Methods:

  • Designed multiplexer and demultiplexer sub-circuits using 12 CRISPRi-based transcriptional logic gates.
  • Integrated an acyl homoserine lactone-based communication module with inducible promoters for small molecule control.
  • Utilized experimentally parameterized mathematical models to predict system performance.

Main Results:

  • Successfully engineered a system capable of multiplexed cell-cell communication.
  • Demonstrated the ability to transmit two separate intercellular conversations through a single communication channel.
  • Mathematical models accurately predicted the system's steady-state and dynamic behavior.

Conclusions:

  • The developed channel selector device significantly expands the capacity of synthetic cell-cell communication systems.
  • This technology has broad applications in synthetic development, metabolic engineering, and coordinating cellular communities.
  • Enables more sophisticated control over multicellular behaviors through engineered communication pathways.