Signal transduction across cellular membranes can be mediated by coupling of the clustering of anchored proteins in both leaflets

One key question in signal transduction is how the signal is relayed from the outer leaflet of a cellular membrane to the inner leaflet. Using a simulation model, a mechanism for the mediation of signal transduction is proposed here in which the coupling between membrane proteins in different leaflets can be achieved by the clustering of anchored proteins, without recruiting transmembrane proteins. Depending on the hydrophobic length of the anchored proteins, three coupling patterns, including face-to-face clustering, interdigitated clustering, and weak-coupled clustering, are observed in this work. This observation provides a possible explanation of how a particular downstream signaling pathway is selected.