Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
15:13
High-resolution Spatiotemporal Analysis of Receptor Dynamics by Single-molecule Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: July 25, 2014
CytoSignal detects locations and dynamics of ligand-receptor signaling at cellular resolution from spatial
Jialin Liu1, Hiroaki Manabe2, Weizhou Qian1
1Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Nature Genetics
|June 10, 2026
Summary
CytoSignal identifies cell-cell communication locations and dynamics using spatial transcriptomic data. This tool enhances understanding of ligand-receptor interactions and signaling patterns in tissues.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Systems biology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Cell-cell communication is vital but difficult to map spatially.
- Current methods lack cellular resolution for ligand-receptor interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop CytoSignal for inferring cell-cell communication at cellular resolution.
- To analyze spatial signaling dynamics from transcriptomic data.
Main Methods:
- Utilized spatial transcriptomic data.
- Developed CytoSignal for spatially resolved signaling scores.
- Experimental validation using proximity ligation assay.
Main Results:
- CytoSignal identifies spatial signaling gradients and interaction locations.
- Predicts temporal dynamics of signaling interactions.
- Demonstrates higher accuracy than previous methods for ligand-receptor interaction mapping.
Conclusions:
- CytoSignal provides a robust, scalable tool for cell-cell signaling analysis.
- Enables detailed study of signaling dynamics at cellular resolution.
- Advances understanding of spatial biology and intercellular communication.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Signal Transduction: Overview
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. They respond to chemical signals, such as hormones, neurotransmitters, and other signaling molecules, initiating a series of molecular reactions to produce an appropriate response. This is called signal transduction. Cells also coordinate different responses elicited by the same signaling molecule via mediators, allowing molecular cross-talk.
Typically, signal transduction involves three...
Typically, signal transduction involves three...
01:23Overview 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...
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...
01:23Overview 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...
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...
02:03What is 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 to respond to the environment.
01:32Types of Signaling Molecules
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...
01:19Protein Dynamics in Living Cells
Different fluorescence-based techniques are used to study the protein dynamics in living cells. These techniques include FRAP, FRET, and PET.
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...