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Related Concept Videos

Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses01:22

Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses

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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. 
Graded and Abrupt Responses
Some signaling systems generate...
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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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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.
Gap Junctions
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Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

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Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
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Intracellular Signaling Cascades01:24

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

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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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Cell-surface Signaling01:21

Cell-surface Signaling

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Hormones—or any molecule that binds to a receptor, known as a ligand—that are lipid-insoluble (water-soluble) are not able to diffuse across the cell membrane. In order to be able to affect a cell without entering it, these hormones bind to receptors on the cell membrane. When a first messenger, a hormone, binds to a receptor, a signal cascade is set off, causing second messengers, proteins inside the cell, to become activated, resulting in downstream effects.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 27, 2025

Molecular Diffusion in Plasma Membranes of Primary Lymphocytes Measured by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
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Molecular Diffusion in Plasma Membranes of Primary Lymphocytes Measured by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

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Dynamics of diffusive cell signaling relays.

Paul B Dieterle1, Jiseon Min2, Daniel Irimia3

  • 1Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States.

Elife
|December 4, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Cell signaling uses diffusive relays to create fast waves, overcoming slow diffusion. System dimensionality impacts wave dynamics, not cellular activation details, aiding processes like neutrophil chemotaxis.

Keywords:
cell signalingcollective phenomenadiffusive waveshumanneutrophil swarmingphysics of living systems

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Last Updated: Nov 27, 2025

Molecular Diffusion in Plasma Membranes of Primary Lymphocytes Measured by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
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From Fast Fluorescence Imaging to Molecular Diffusion Law on Live Cell Membranes in a Commercial Microscope
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Spot Variation Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Analysis of Molecular Diffusion at the Plasma Membrane of Living Cells
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Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Biophysics
  • Systems biology

Background:

  • Simple diffusion limits cell signaling speed.
  • Diffusive relays enhance signaling through collective cellular response.
  • Fast-traveling diffusive waves are observed in various biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the impact of system dimensionality on cell signaling wave dynamics.
  • Determine the sensitivity of wave dynamics to cellular activation details.
  • Explore the role of diffusive signaling in neutrophil swarming and chemotaxis.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of diffusive wave propagation.
  • Analysis of cell distribution and extracellular medium geometry.
  • Comparison of model predictions with experimental data from neutrophil swarming.

Main Results:

  • System dimensionality significantly affects diffusive wave dynamics.
  • Wave dynamics are robust to variations in cellular activation.
  • Diffusive signaling relays generate steeper concentration gradients than simple diffusion.
  • Neutrophil swarming exhibits dynamics consistent with diffusive relay signaling.

Conclusions:

  • Diffusive relays are a key mechanism for rapid cell communication.
  • System geometry is a critical factor in controlling signaling wave behavior.
  • Steeper concentration profiles from diffusive relays may enhance directed cell movement (chemotaxis).