Signal transduction

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In biology, 'signal transduction' refers to any process by which a cell converts one kind of signal or stimulus into another. Most processes of signal transduction involve ordered sequences of biochemical reactions inside the cell, which are carried out by enzymes and activated by second messengers, resulting in a signal transduction pathway. Such processes are usually rapid, lasting on the order of milliseconds in the case of ion flux, or minutes for the activation of protein- and lipid-mediated kinase cascades, but some can take hours, and even days (as is the case with gene expression), to complete. The number of proteins and other molecules participating in the events involving signal transduction increases as the process emanates from the initial stimulus, resulting in a "signal cascade," beginning with a relatively small stimulus that elicits a large response. This is referred to as amplification of the signal.

For more information about Signal transduction, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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News tagged with signaling pathway

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Crosstalk between critical cell-signaling pathways holds clues to tumor invasion and metastasis

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Two signaling pathways essential to normal human development - the Wnt/Wingless (Wnt) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways - interact in ways that can promote tumor cell invasion and metastasis, researchers ...


Wistar researchers show targeting 'normal' cells in tumors slows growth

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 16, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Targeting the normal cells that surround cancer cells within and around a tumor is a strategy that could greatly increase the effectiveness of traditional anti-cancer treatments, say researchers at The Wistar Institute.


'Cross-talk' mechanism contributes to colorectal cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 13, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have identified a molecular mechanism that allows two powerful signaling pathways to interact and begin a process leading to colorectal ...


Researcher studies blood vessels that feed tumors

Researcher studies blood vessels that feed tumors

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 03, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Federal stimulus funding helps Cornell researchers create tiny 3-D models of tumors to mimic conditions necessary for the development of vascular systems by tumors.


UT Southwestern researchers use drug-radiation combo to eradicate lung cancer

Researchers use drug-radiation combo to eradicate lung cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Oct 29, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have eliminated non-small cell lung (NSCL) cancer in mice by using an investigative drug called BEZ235 in combination with low-dose radiation.


Researchers identify gene with possible link to infertility in mice

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 02, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified the role of a gene in regulating molecular signals involved with ovarian follicle development, which may one day help shed light on some of the causes of fertility ...


Duke/Singapore scientists find new way to classify gastric cancers

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Oct 02, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

An international team of scientists has discovered a new way to classify stomach cancers, and researchers say it may be an important step toward designing more effective treatments and improving long-term survival.


New drug shows promise in the fight against malignant melanoma

New drug shows promise in the fight against malignant melanoma

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Sep 29, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Gavin Robertson is not a man who uses the word ‘hate’ lightly, but he makes no secret of his desire to slay the dragon that is malignant melanoma.


Caltech scientists get detailed glimpse of chemoreceptor architecture in bacterial cells

Scientists get detailed glimpse of chemoreceptor architecture in bacterial cells

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Sep 24, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Using state-of-the-art electron microscopy techniques, a team led by researchers from Caltech has for the first time visualized and described the precise arrangement of chemoreceptors—the receptors that sense ...


Figuring out the heads or tails decision in regeneration

Medicine & Health / Research

created Sep 14, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Amputations trigger a molecular response that determines if a head or tail will be regrown in planaria, a flatworm commonly studied for its regenerative capabilities. Until now, no molecular connection between wounding and ...


Plants on Steroids: Key Missing Link Discovered

Biology / Biotechnology

created Sep 08, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology have discovered a key missing link in the so-called signaling pathway for plant steroid hormones (brassinosteroids). Many important signaling ...


Lapatinib shows minimal effect against liver cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Sep 08, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Use of the molecularly targeted agent lapatinib to delay tumor growth and improve the survival of patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer, only benefited certain subgroups of patients. While results ...


Research shows why low vitamin D raises heart disease risks in diabetics

Research shows why low vitamin D raises heart disease risks in diabetics

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Aug 22, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0

Low levels of vitamin D are known to nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, and researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis now think they know ...


Researchers identify potential target for metastatic cancer

Researchers identify potential target for metastatic cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Aug 10, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

The deadliest part of the cancer process, metastasis, appears to rely on help from macrophages, potent immune system cells that usually defend vigorously against disease, researchers at Albert Einstein College ...


What makes stem cells tick?

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Aug 06, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Investigators at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have made the first comparative, large-scale phosphoproteomic analysis of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) ...