Spatiotemporal Control of Growth Factor Signaling

The plasma membrane, as a major site of growth factor signaling activation and integration, contains multiple microdomains. The dependence on indirect and perturbing approaches has sparked heated controversy about the nature, and even the existence, of some microdomains. The advent of super-resolution imaging methods and increasing technical proficiency yielded evidence for tiny, short-lived clusters that may be even smaller than 50 nm in diameter on the cell membrane. Among them, cholesterol-rich lipid rafts, caveolin-enriched caveolae, and the primary ciliary membrane have all been identified as key signaling platforms. Lipid rafts are thought to be abundant in cholesterol and saturated lipids like sphingolipids, which are packed together to form highly organized structures. Caveolae are specific cell membrane invaginations that range in size from 50 to 70 nm. Aside from their distinctive morphology, caveolae are distinguished by the presence of the protein caveolin and the concentration of many of the same molecular components found in lipid rafts, resulting in comparable high order and cholesterol reliance.

Moreover, a number of scaffolding/targeting proteins act as anchors and adaptors to keep signaling components in place in order to build macromolecular signaling complexes. These scaffolding systems can drive macromolecular complexes to distinct membrane regions. To complicate matters further, various signals received by the cell at different stages of the cell cycle may have different outcomes and little is known regarding the function and mechanism of growth factor signaling in regulating other phases of the cell cycle, apart from G1, including S, G2, and M phases.

The aim of this research topic is to present the state of the art on the dynamic modulation of growth signaling mediators in time and space. The Editors welcome Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Methods, Perspectives, and Opinions, and invite contributions, particularly covering the following areas:

• Utilization of high-resolution techniques to resolve the size, distribution, and dynamics of membrane microdomains associated with cell signaling;

• Investigation of signal transducers and their post-translational modifications (e.g. phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, lipidation, etc.) in particular membrane microdomains or cellular compartments;

• Novel insights into the proteomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and epigenetic regulations associated with signal transduction in different cellular compartments or stages of the cell cycle;

• The clinical importance of spatiotemporal regulation of growth factor signaling in disease and homeostasis.

More information on article types accepted by the journal can be found here.

Topic Editor, Ozgur Sahin, is the co-founder and manager of OncoCube Therapeutics LLC, and the founder and president of LoxiGen, Inc. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.

Keywords: growth factor signaling, plasma membrane, spatiotemporal control, cell cycle, signal transducers, cell signaling, spatiotemporal regulation

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.