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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. 
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Types of Signaling Molecules01:32

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In multicellular organisms, many molecules transmit signals between cells to pass information. These signals vary in complexity and include small peptides, nucleotides, steroids, fatty acid derivatives, and dissolved gases such as nitric oxide. Some signaling molecules diffuse through the plasma membrane to act locally between neighboring cells or travel long distances. Others remain attached to the cell surface, transmitting information to other cells only when they make contact. In some...
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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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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...
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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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Fluorescence Biomembrane Force Probe: Concurrent Quantitation of Receptor-ligand Kinetics and Binding-induced Intracellular Signaling on a Single Cell
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Single-molecule biophysics in signaling: Functionality from stochastic effects.

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  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.

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This summary is machine-generated.

Single-molecule visualization reveals stochastic mechanisms in cellular signal transduction. Small numbers of molecules in competitive enzymatic cycles lead to unexpected biological behaviors.

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Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Single-molecule visualization techniques offer unprecedented insights into cellular processes.
  • Understanding molecular mechanisms of cellular signal transduction is crucial for biology and medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore novel signaling mechanisms rooted in stochastic behavior.
  • To highlight the role of molecular numbers in biological functionality.

Main Methods:

  • Review of emerging signaling mechanisms.
  • Analysis of competitive enzymatic reaction cycles with membrane-localized substrates/products and cytosolic enzymes.

Main Results:

  • Single-molecule perspective reveals stochastic variation and molecular heterogeneity.
  • Emerging mechanisms demonstrate biological functionality achieved through physical processes.
  • Unexpected behaviors arise in systems with a small number of molecules.

Conclusions:

  • Stochasticity plays a fundamental role in cellular signal transduction.
  • The common enzymatic reaction configuration with localized components can lead to complex behaviors.
  • Further research into single-molecule dynamics is essential for understanding biological systems.