Explore Research Tools by Pathway

Autophagy is the regulated, self-degradative process of the cell that disassembles unnecessary or dysfunctional components. The lysosomal pathway is evolutionarily conserved and initiates engulfment, degradation and recycling of cellular contents including long-lived proteins and organelles thus promoting cell survival.

Immune checkpoints are receptors on the membrane of T-lymphocytes that can alternate their immune response. They thus regulate the immune response either via stimulation or inhibition. The pathway is crucial to promote self-tolerance and prevent autoimmunity and related diseases.

Cell division unfolds in four stages - G1, S, G2, and M phase – depending on a number of internal or external signals. Progression through the different phases is driven by cyclin dependent kinases (CDK) and their activators, the cyclins. Additionally, their activity is further modulated by CDK inhibitors. Tight control of the cell cycle is essential to maintain proper cell homeostasis.

The complement system is part of the innate immune system and plays an important role in host defense, inflammation, tissue regeneration and other physiological processes. Depending on the invading pathogen it follows three established pathways: the classical, lectin, or alternative pathway.

In any organism, various DNA repair mechanisms assure the integrity of the genetic information that is contained in the nucleus of every cell. The crucial significance of keeping the DNA intact is reflected by the number of different DNA repair pathways and the various proteins involved in these processes.

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling cascade is one of the most important determinants for many developmental processes. Gene products of the targeted genes determine cellular stemness, renewal, survival, and migration. Deregulation of the Hh signal proteins and downstream effectors is pivotal during cancer progression.

The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) comprises a number of genes that occur in many species. The encoded proteins help the immune system to tell the body's own proteins apart from those of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoans. In humans, MHC proteins are encoded by the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA), a group of more than 200 genes located closely together on the short arm of chromosome 6.

JAK-STAT signaling is highly conserved in vertebrates and even some other metazoans. The combination of receptor activated kinases and transcription factors make this signaling cascade one of the central cellular regulatory pathways.

Lipids are omnipresent in a multitude of vital cell processes. Cells use lipids to store energy, build membranes, signal within and between cells, sense the environment, covalently modify proteins, form specialized permeability barriers (e.g., in skin), and protect cells from highly reactive chemicals.

Phosphorylation is the reversible process of attaching a phosphate group to a specific amino-acid residue on a protein. Functionally, phosphorylation acts as a simple molecular switch that can activate, deactivate, or modulate the function of a protein. Addition and removal of phosphate groups provide spatial and temporal control over protein activity.

Microtubules are highly-dynamic structural and functional intracellular highways. The term cytoskeleton conjures up an image of rigid, immutable, and permanent structure. In reality, the cytoskeleton is a highly dynamic interconnected network composed of three different principal components: microtubules ...

NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) represent a group of homo- or heterodimeric transcription factors that are central in a network of various signal transduction pathways. A vast array of signals such as cytokines, growth factors and hormones, infections, oxidative stress,...

The highly-conserved Notch signaling pathway is unique, as both the Notch receptor and most of its respective ligands...

p53 is one of the most prominent tumor suppressors and is often called “the guardian of the genome”. Mutations of p53 or parts of its regulatory circuit are found in almost all cancers, which highlights its importance. It is conserving the stability of the genome by preventing mutations caused by cellular stress or DNA damage. p53 stabilizes the...

The PI3K/Akt pathway is pivotal for cellular homeostasis, neurological development, metabolism, and other processes. It regulates various aspects of cellular development such as apoptosis, cell cycle progression, and cell differentiation. The key regulator of the PI3K/Akt pathway is Akt/PKB, a family of three closely related serine/threonine-protein kinases...

Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs) are membrane bound kinases that are activated upon binding of receptor specific ligands. They make up the largest class of membrane receptors that trigger signaling cascades through their inherent enzymatic activity.

SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA beta coronavirus belonging to the order of nidovirales. In the first three months since its initial identification in December 2019 SARS-CoV-2 has caused more than 800.000 confirmed cases and over 40.000 fatalities worldwide of the associated severe acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019)

The T-Cell Receptor is a protein complex on the surface of T-cell responsible for antigen recognition. The activation induces a number of signaling cascades finally leading to the transcription of several gene products which allow the T cells to differentiate, proliferate and secrete a number of cytokines.

Toll-like receptors play an essential in the innate immune response against various pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. TLRs elicit one of two conserved inflammatory pathways: either the TRIF- or the MyD88 dependent pathway. Besides, TLR signaling also induces dendritic cell maturation and the adaptive immune response.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a cellular stress response activated in eukaryotic cells in response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, an accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER lumen

Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) constitute a sub-family of growth factors that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. VEGFs are important signaling proteins and initiate angiogenesis via several signalling cascades.

Wnts are a class of evolutionarily-conserved, lipid-modified glycoproteins that play a pivotal role in development and homeostasis through a number of different paracrine...