Cell Signalling Dynamics in Time and Space

The specificity of cellular responses to receptor stimulation is encoded by the spatial and temporal dynamics of downstream signalling networks. Computational models provide insights into the intricate relationships between stimuli and responses and reveal mechanisms that enable networks to amplify signals, reduce noise and generate discontinuous bistable dynamics or oscillations. These temporal dynamics are coupled to precipitous spatial gradients of signalling activities, which guide pivotal intracellular processes. Trafficking of endosomes and kinase-scaffold complexes driven by molecular motors propagate signals from the plasma membrane to the nucleus. Rapid survival signals in neurons might be transmitted by waves of protein modification.