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Related Concept Videos

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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Overview of Cell Signaling01:23

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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.
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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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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 20, 2025

Compartmentalization of Human Stem Cell-Derived Neurons within Pre-Assembled Plastic Microfluidic Chips
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Programming cell-surface signaling by phase-separation-controlled compartmentalization.

Ru Li1, Tiantian Li2, Genzhe Lu1

  • 1Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Nature Chemical Biology
|November 18, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers engineered novel tools using liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to precisely control cell-surface proteins (CSPs). These tools enable precise manipulation and compartmentalization of CSPs for dissecting complex cell signaling pathways.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cell-surface signaling is intricate and requires precise tools for manipulation.
  • Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a key mechanism regulating some cell-surface proteins (CSPs).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer novel tools based on LLPS for precise spatiotemporal manipulation of CSPs.
  • To dissect complex cell-signaling landscapes with enhanced precision.

Main Methods:

  • Engineered membrane-tethering LLPS systems by fusing multivalent scaffolds with CSP binders.
  • Developed orthogonal phase-separation systems for segregating CSPs into distinct compartments.
  • Utilized scaffold membrane recruitment to induce phase separation and CSP compartmentalization.

Main Results:

  • Successfully generated LLPS-based tools for robustly clustering individual CSPs.
  • Demonstrated co-clustering of multiple CSPs and segregation of different CSPs into exclusive membrane compartments.
  • Showcased the ability to control CSP distribution and signaling outputs via engineered phase separation.

Conclusions:

  • Engineered LLPS systems provide a versatile platform for precise control of CSPs on cell surfaces.
  • These tools offer unprecedented capabilities for dissecting complex cell-surface signaling networks.
  • The developed technology facilitates a deeper understanding of signaling mechanisms regulated by CSPs and LLPS.