Cell complexity: study of one molecule (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, December 10, 2014, 15:20 (3424 days ago) @ David Turell

This paper shows how complex is the activity of one giant protein molecule in the cell membrane, controlling probably three functions:-http://www.the-scientist.com//?articles.view/articleNo/41505/title/Cadherin-Connection/-"When clustered together in tissues, cells sense and respond to their neighbors by way of membrane receptors, which relay signals informing individual cells when and in what directions to multiply. The loss of—or failure to respond to—these cues can spill over to cause cancer or other diseases. Researchers previously knew that one such surface receptor, a conserved cell-adhesion molecule dubbed Fat (Ft) cadherin, functioned in two ways, regulating tissue organization and a tumor-suppressive signaling pathway known as Hippo. Now, a new study suggests this molecule may have a third role: linking cell proliferation to mitochondrial respiration."-This is the 'sentience of cells' that dhw loves to quote. What fascinates me is how the research folks tease the process apart.