Cellular Compartmentalization as a Physical Regulatory Mechanism of Signaling Pathways
Cells compartmentalize biochemical processes using physical barriers in the form of membranes. Eukaryotes have a wide diversity of membrane-based compartments that can be used in this context, with the main ones being the extracellular membrane, which separates the inside from the outside of the cel...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Biophysica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4125/4/4/42 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850049996262473728 |
|---|---|
| author | Ahmed N. Fayad Diego Mazo-Durán David G. Míguez |
| author_facet | Ahmed N. Fayad Diego Mazo-Durán David G. Míguez |
| author_sort | Ahmed N. Fayad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cells compartmentalize biochemical processes using physical barriers in the form of membranes. Eukaryotes have a wide diversity of membrane-based compartments that can be used in this context, with the main ones being the extracellular membrane, which separates the inside from the outside of the cell, and the nuclear membrane, which separates the nucleus from the cytoplasm. The nuclear membrane not only isolates and protects the DNA and the transcription and replication processes from the other processes that are occurring in the cytoplasm but also has an active role in the regulation of cellular signaling. The TGF-<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> pathway is one of the most important and conserved signaling cascades, and it achieves compartmentalization using a well-tuned balance between the import and export rates of the active and inactive forms of key proteins. Thus, compartmentalization serves as an additional regulatory mechanism, physically isolating transcription factors from their targets, influencing the dynamics and strength of signal transduction. This contribution focuses on this biophysical layer of regulation, using the TGF-<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> pathway to illustrate the molecular mechanisms underlying this process, as well as the biological consequences of this compartmentalization. We also introduce a simplified mathematical formulation for studying the dynamics of this process using a generalized approach. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d49e7df972b44e01ad2a6b8b55e82beb |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2673-4125 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biophysica |
| spelling | doaj-art-d49e7df972b44e01ad2a6b8b55e82beb2025-08-20T02:53:34ZengMDPI AGBiophysica2673-41252024-12-014463465010.3390/biophysica4040042Cellular Compartmentalization as a Physical Regulatory Mechanism of Signaling PathwaysAhmed N. Fayad0Diego Mazo-Durán1David G. Míguez2Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, 28049 Madrid, SpainCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, 28049 Madrid, SpainCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, 28049 Madrid, SpainCells compartmentalize biochemical processes using physical barriers in the form of membranes. Eukaryotes have a wide diversity of membrane-based compartments that can be used in this context, with the main ones being the extracellular membrane, which separates the inside from the outside of the cell, and the nuclear membrane, which separates the nucleus from the cytoplasm. The nuclear membrane not only isolates and protects the DNA and the transcription and replication processes from the other processes that are occurring in the cytoplasm but also has an active role in the regulation of cellular signaling. The TGF-<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> pathway is one of the most important and conserved signaling cascades, and it achieves compartmentalization using a well-tuned balance between the import and export rates of the active and inactive forms of key proteins. Thus, compartmentalization serves as an additional regulatory mechanism, physically isolating transcription factors from their targets, influencing the dynamics and strength of signal transduction. This contribution focuses on this biophysical layer of regulation, using the TGF-<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>β</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> pathway to illustrate the molecular mechanisms underlying this process, as well as the biological consequences of this compartmentalization. We also introduce a simplified mathematical formulation for studying the dynamics of this process using a generalized approach.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4125/4/4/42biophysicalTGF-<i>β</i>Smadtranslocationsystemsmodeling |
| spellingShingle | Ahmed N. Fayad Diego Mazo-Durán David G. Míguez Cellular Compartmentalization as a Physical Regulatory Mechanism of Signaling Pathways Biophysica biophysical TGF-<i>β</i> Smad translocation systems modeling |
| title | Cellular Compartmentalization as a Physical Regulatory Mechanism of Signaling Pathways |
| title_full | Cellular Compartmentalization as a Physical Regulatory Mechanism of Signaling Pathways |
| title_fullStr | Cellular Compartmentalization as a Physical Regulatory Mechanism of Signaling Pathways |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cellular Compartmentalization as a Physical Regulatory Mechanism of Signaling Pathways |
| title_short | Cellular Compartmentalization as a Physical Regulatory Mechanism of Signaling Pathways |
| title_sort | cellular compartmentalization as a physical regulatory mechanism of signaling pathways |
| topic | biophysical TGF-<i>β</i> Smad translocation systems modeling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4125/4/4/42 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ahmednfayad cellularcompartmentalizationasaphysicalregulatorymechanismofsignalingpathways AT diegomazoduran cellularcompartmentalizationasaphysicalregulatorymechanismofsignalingpathways AT davidgmiguez cellularcompartmentalizationasaphysicalregulatorymechanismofsignalingpathways |