Abstract
Cells constantly encounter a wide range of environmental signals and rely on their signaling pathways to initiate reliable responses. Understanding the underlying signaling mechanisms and cellular behaviors requires signal generators capable of providing diverse input signals to deliver to cell systems. Current research efforts are primarily focused on exploring cellular responses to global or local signals, which enable us to understand cellular signaling and behavior in distinct dimensions. This review presents recent advancements in global and local signal generators, highlighting their applications in studying temporal and spatial signaling activity. Global signals can be generated using microfluidic or photochemical approaches. Local signal sources can be created using living or artificial cells in combination with different control methods. We also address the strengths and limitations of each signal generator type, discussing challenges and potential extensions for future research. These approaches are expected to continue to facilitate on-going research to discover novel and intriguing cellular signaling mechanisms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1239026 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
| Volume | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Sept 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This result is part of a project, ImmunoCode, that has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 802791). Furthermore, we acknowledge generous support by the Eindhoven University of Technology.
Funding
This result is part of a project, ImmunoCode, that has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 802791). Furthermore, we acknowledge generous support by the Eindhoven University of Technology. This result is part of a project, ImmunoCode, that has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 802791). Furthermore, we acknowledge generous support by the Eindhoven University of Technology.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| European Union's Horizon 2020 - Research and Innovation Framework Programme | 802791 |
| H2020 European Research Council | |
| Eindhoven University of Technology |
Keywords
- cellular communication
- microfluidics
- signal generator
- signaling dynamics
- single cells