[Intracellular signaling system as a network of signaling circuits].
Elucidation of the function of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes as well as of receptors and their signal transduction mechanisms revealed a complex intracellular signaling network, which consists of a variety of signaling cascades as well as feedback circuits. One of the major characteristics of the signaling network is that the system contains a mechanism controlling the amounts and nature of the components. The mechanism controlling the amount of the components involves regulation of transcription factors which are activated upon extracellular stimuli and regulate expression of a variety of genes such as the gene for the factor itself as well as other transcription factors, making cascades and feedback circuits of gene regulation. This seems to act as a cellular machinery determining the timing of cell responses, which governs the whole signaling network.
Ohno
S
S
Dept. of Molecular Biology, Yokohama City University, School of Medicine, Japan.
D016923:Cell Death; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D005246:Feedback / Q000502:physiology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic