Trafficking motifs as the basis for two-compartment signaling systems to form multiple stable states.

ABSTRACT: Transport of molecules in cells is a central part of cell biology. Frequently such trafficking is not just for material transport, but also for information propagation, and serves to couple signaling circuits across cellular compartments. Here, I show that trafficking transforms simple local signaling pathways into self-organizing systems that span compartments and confer distinct states and identities to these compartments. I find that three motifs encapsulate the responses of most single-compartment signaling pathways in the context of trafficking. These motifs combine with different trafficking reactions to generate a diverse set of cellular functions. For example, trafficked bistable switches can oscillate or become quad- or tristable, depending on trafficking mechanisms and rates. Fur

SUBMITTER: Bhalla US 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3127183 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature