806.607 Studies in Cell Signaling Through the Membrane

1. Goal
Most of marketed drugs target extracellular receptors or their downstream signaling molecules. It is therefore important for future researchers in the field of biomedical sciences to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of biosignaling. This course will provide an overview of how extracellular signaling molecules, including drugs, bind and activate cell surface receptors, how activated receptors transduce biosignals to intracellular signaling molecules, how intracellular signaling pathways amplify, integrate, and re-orient the initial signals created by extracellular signaling molecules to the nucleus, how signaling pathways are linked to core cell cycle machinery in the nucleus to control cell growth, how cell cycle is controlled by the cell cycle checkpoint in the context of DNA damage, how cell cycle regulation is related with apoptosis and DNA damage, and how misregulation of biosignaling and cell cycle can lead to cancer. In the end of these sections, we will also look over some of molecular drugs to treat cancer. Based on these molecular mechanisms of biosignaling and cell growth, we will overview how biosignaling is mediated and controlled in a cell type-specific manner and at the level of organs, such as nervous cells, eye, muscle, and metabolism and neuroendocrine system in the context of diabetes.