How long does signal transduction in cells take?

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Signal transduction in cells is a way for cells to communicate with each other. The term itself refers to the movement of signals from outside of a cell to the inside of the same cell. The movement of signals can vary from the very simple to a more complex class of signal movements. The end result of these movements of signals or transductions is a change in the cells’ activity and the programming of the genes within the cell.

To understand the issue of cell communication, one must first understand what a cell is. Cells are the smallest known form of life but are teeming with activity inside. The cell itself is engulfed in a membrane separating its interior from the outer world. The membrane acts to regulate what enters and exits the cell via a phenomenon known as selective permeability. All cells contain DNA and, no less important, RNA, which contains the information necessary to build enzymes. Enzymes are the cell’s primary mechanism for activity.

Within a cell are receptor molecules of different classes. The complexity of the signal movement depends on which molecules, acting as receptors, are involved. Generally speaking, there are three classes of receptors involved in signal movements.

One class of receptors penetrates the plasma membrane of the cell, causing enzymatic activity. This activity is characterized by increases in the rate of chemical reactions. Receptors with enzymatic activity include those that are tyrosine kinases, a sub-group of catalyzing proteins. This sub-group of tyrosine kinases can autophosphorylate or induce phosphorylation (change in the function of the target protein by changing enzyme activity, location of the protein within the cell or the protein’s association with other proteins) in other molecules. Receptors of this class include, for example, insulin.

A second class of receptors pair-up inside the cell to a group of proteins known as G-proteins. The G-proteins transmit chemical signals outside the cell while causing changes within the cell. G-protein coupled reactors pass through the cell membrane, binding to phosphate groups. As they bind to the phosphates, they act as molecular switches, turning activity on or off. In doing so, the G-protein generates a series of other activities within the cell, ultimately causing changes in the cell. Examples of this class are ordorant receptors.

A third class of transducing receptors is nuclear receptors, so called because they are located intracellularly and migrate to the nucleus. Once in the nucleus, they affect gene transcription. This is the creation of an RNA copy of a sequence of DNA. Examples of these receptors include steroids and thyroid hormone receptors.

A key to the entire process of cell transduction, or signal movements within cells, are phosphatases. Phosphatases have been “implicated” in increased cellular growth. That is, phosphates are involved in regulating cell growth and proliferation. If phosphatases are lost, cell proliferation and differentiation can lead to neoplasia. This is the breakdown in transduction between the cells and the tissues around it causing the cells to replicate and amass disproportionate to the surrounding tissue. This, in turn, can lead to the growth of tumors or lumps.

Signal transduction in cells can take anywhere from milliseconds to days. The length of time depends on the type of cell. For example, during ion flux when ions from plasma bombard the cell surface, transduction can take milliseconds. When proteins are involved, the process can take a few minutes. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days for gene expression.

Resource by Will

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