Cross-talk between signaling cascades

Signaling cascades communicate and integrate extracellular signaling cues spatially and temporally via formation of defined protein-protein interactions. Scientists from the Institute of Biochemistry in Innsbruck discovered a unique mechanism which is based on binary protein-protein interactions and which explains cross talk between critically regulated signaling cascades. Photo: Schematic representation of signaling cross talk: Circles specify proteins from two signaling cascades/networks. New physical interaction of the bait:prey proteins is indicated. Higher eukaryotic cells developed sophisticated mechanisms to respond to altering environmental conditions. Extracellular cues (e.g. light or hormones) are sensed by membrane-localized receptors and are transmitted into distinct compartments of the cell through a relay of signaling events.