Cellular intelligence: communication (Evolution)

by David Turell , Thursday, December 15, 2022, 17:43 (707 days ago) @ dhw

A specific molecule:

https://phys.org/news/2022-12-fluorescent-sensor-reveals-key-protein.html

"Researchers led by Osaka University report the development of INCIDER, a fluorescent sensor system that enables high-contrast microscopic imaging of temporal changes in cellular interactions mediated by the N-cadherin molecule.

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"Cells tend to get themselves in and out of "sticky situations" on a regular basis, as they make and break functional connections with each other. Monitoring intercellular interactions is essential for gaining deeper insights into the complex human physiology. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a new way to track some of these adhesive interactions in real time.

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"The human body is made up of millions of cells that need to work together to keep everything functioning normally. In order for cells to work well together, they need to stick together, and they do this through the use of adhesion molecules such as neural cadherin (NCad).

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"'The results were striking," explains senior author Tomoki Matsuda. "We observed bright fluorescence on the surfaces of interacting cells, indicating that the fluorescent sensors were appropriately activated by cell–cell adhesion.'"

Comment: communication by molecule. That is how it has to work. Each molecule has a meaning.