RESUMO
Notch signaling is the canonical signaling pathway between neighboring cells. It plays an important role in fine-grained patterning processes such as the formation of checkerboard-like differentiation patterns and sharp boundaries between developing tissues. While detailed information about many of the genes and proteins involved have been identified, we still lack a quantitative mechanistic understanding of these processes. Here we discuss several recent studies that provide novel insights into Notch-dependent patterning by combining mathematical models with quantitative experimental results. Such approaches allow identification of mechanisms and design principles controlling how patterns are generated in a reproducible and robust manner.
Assuntos
Padronização Corporal/genética , Modelos Biológicos , Receptores Notch/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Animais , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Drosophila/embriologia , Drosophila/genética , Drosophila/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica no Desenvolvimento , Processamento de Proteína Pós-Traducional , Receptores Notch/genéticaRESUMO
Nonideal polar monolayers can induce a field-effect in molecular gated transistors. To quantify the magnitude of this phenomenon, we have calculated the effect of roughness and noncontinuity of such layers on the operation of hybrid silicon-on-insulator field-effect transistors. The results show that under most practical conditions, the nonideality of polar monolayers induces very small electric fields in the underlying transistor channel, and consequently a negligible gating effect.
