Questions Sala

Imagine that you are a primitive single-cell organism. What type of new signalling response could provide you with a potential evolutionary advantage 1
over the other competitor organisms in the primordial soup? When might the same signalling response provide a fitness disadvantage? What general
principles govern whether a new input–output response would be advantageous?
What are some of the common signals and stresses that must be detected by both single-cell organisms and individual cells that are part of 2
multicellular organisms? What are some of the different signals that they must detect? What types of output response might be unique to cells from
multicellular organisms?
Multicellular organisms often use complex organ systems to sense and process external information. For example, an animal will use its visual system 3
and nervous system to detect many external stimuli. What types of inputs, decisions, and outputs must be made by the individual cells that make up
the visual and nervous systems?
Why are signalling proteins involved in cancer (such as oncogene products) also often found to be involved in the process of development? 4

What is the relationship between signalling and transcriptional regulation? What are the commonalities and differences between these two systems? 5
What types of cellular response can only be generated by signalling systems?

Does phosphorylation of a signalling protein by an upstream kinase represent a signalling input or output? Explain 6
How can the localization of a signalling protein be considered to be a currency for storing information? Describe how inputs can modify localization. 7
Describe how localization can change downstream physiological outputs.

What are the other molecular currencies that signalling proteins can use to store and transmit information? How can upstream inputs alter these 8
currencies? And how can changes in these currencies be converted into downstream responses?