Issue 1, 2012
From the journal:

Molecular BioSystems

How do dynamic cellular signals travel long distances?†

Ruth Nussinov*ab  

* Corresponding authors

a Basic Research Program, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., Center for Cancer Research Nanobiology Program, Bldg 469, Rm 151, NCI-Frederick, Frederick, USA
E-mail: ruthnu@helix.nih.gov
Fax: +1-301-846-5598
Tel: +1-301-846-5579

b Sackler Inst. of Molecular Medicine, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel

Abstract

Communication is essential. It is vital between cells in multi-cellular organisms, and within cells. A signaling molecule binds to a receptor protein, and initiates a cascade of dynamic events. Signaling is a multistep pathway, which allows signal amplification: if some of the molecules in a pathway transmit the signal to multiple molecules, the result can be a large number of activated molecules across the cell and multiple reactions. That is how a small number of extracellular signaling molecules can produce a major cellular response. The pathway can relay signals from the extracellular space to the nucleus. How do signals travel efficiently over long-distances across the cell? Here we argue that evolution has utilized three properties: a modular functional organization of the cellular network; sequences in some key regions of proteins, such as linkers or loops, which were pre-encoded by evolution to facilitate signaling among domains; and compact interactions between proteins which is achieved via conformational disorder.

Graphical abstract: How do dynamic cellular signals travel long distances?

About
Cited by
Related
Download options Please wait...

Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C1MB05205E
Article type
Opinion
Submitted
27 May 2011
Accepted
29 Jun 2011
First published
18 Jul 2011
This article is Open Access

Mol. BioSyst., 2012,8, 22-26

Permissions

Request permissions

How do dynamic cellular signals travel long distances?

R. Nussinov, Mol. BioSyst., 2012, 8, 22 DOI: 10.1039/C1MB05205E

This is an Open Access article. The full version of this article can be posted on a website/blog, posted on an intranet, photocopied, emailed, distributed in a course pack or distributed in Continuing Medical Education (CME) materials provided that it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements