MAPK Cascades as Feedback Amplifiers
| dc.creator | Sauro, Herbert M | |
| dc.creator | Ingalls, Brian | |
| dc.date | 2007-10-26 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T08:39:05Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T08:39:05Z | |
| dc.description | Interconvertible enzyme cascades, exemplified by the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, are a frequent mechanism in signal transduction pathways. There has been much speculation as to the role of these pathways, and how their structure is related to their function. A common conclusion is that the cascades serve to amplify biochemical signals so that a single bound ligand molecule might produce a multitude of second messengers. Some recent work has focused on a particular feature present in some MAPK pathways -- a negative feedback loop which spans the length of the cascade. This is a feature that is shared by a man-made engineering device, the feedback amplifier. We propose a novel interpretation: that by wrapping a feedback loop around an amplifier, these cascades may be acting as biochemical feedback amplifiers which imparts i) increased robustness with respect to internal perturbations; ii) a linear graded response over an extended operating range; iii) insulation from external perturbation, resulting in functional modularization. We also report on the growing list of experimental evidence which supports a graded response of MAPK with respect to Epidermal Growth Factor. This evidence supports our hypothesis that in these circumstances MAPK cascade, may be acting as a feedback amplifier. | |
| dc.description | 21 pages and 8 figures | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/0710.5195 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/0710.5195 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/140952 | |
| dc.subject | Molecular Networks | |
| dc.subject | Subcellular Processes | |
| dc.title | MAPK Cascades as Feedback Amplifiers | |
| dc.type | text |