Modular binding domains in signal transduction proteins

Abstract

The transduction of a signal is a change in form of the signal as it is passed from one carrier to another. The root "duce" means "to lead" in Latin; thus, a signal is led through a cell by steps of transduction (the same root is in the words seduce and duct as well as II Duce). The earliest transduction steps that were elucidated involved massive release of small molecule "second messengers", originally cAMP, that flooded a cell with information. With the understanding that such proteins as tyrosine kinases and Ras relatives are signal transducers, came the realization that many signaling pathways are more precise, sending controlled and probably weakly amplified signals to specific targets. These intracellular signals are often maintained in macromolecular form rather than being passed to small molecules.

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