Signal transduction by growth factor receptors - Signaling in an instant

Phosphorylation-based signaling events happening within the first minute of receptor stimulation have so far only been analyzed by classical cell biological approaches like live-cell microscopy. The development of a quench flow system with a time resolution of one second coupled to a read-out by mass spectrometry-based proteomics has allowed exciting views on the very early events in signal transduction. Activation profiles of regulated phosphorylation sites on epidermal growth factor receptor and downstream signal transducers showed different kinetics within the first ten seconds of stimulation. This new technique opens the perspectives for accurate analysis of rapid cellular processes and will help to establish models describing signal initiation at the plasma membrane.