title: Signal processing by the endosomal system.
abstract: Cells need to decode chemical or physical signals from their environment in order to make decisions on their fate. In the case of signalling receptors, ligand binding triggers a cascade of chemical reactions but also the internalization of the activated receptors in the endocytic pathway. Here, we highlight recent studies revealing a new role of the endosomal network in signal processing. The diversity of entry pathways and endosomal compartments is exploited to regulate the kinetics of receptor trafficking, and interactions with specific signalling adaptors and effectors. By governing the spatio-temporal distribution of signalling molecules, the endosomal system functions analogously to a digital-analogue computer that regulates the specificity and robustness of the signalling response.
authors.affiliation: Roche Innovation Center Basel, Grenzacherstrasse, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address: roberto.villasenor_solorio@roche.com.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Villaseñor
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: kalaidzi@mpi-cbg.de.
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kalaidzidis
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstr. 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: zerial@mpi-cbg.de.
authors.forename: Marino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zerial
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D004705:Endocytosis; D011992:Endosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D015398:Signal Transduction