Signaling pathways orchestrate diverse cellular outcomes in the same tissue, spatially and temporally. These interactions, which are played out in micro-environments within cells and involve a relatively small number of core pathways, are the key to the development and function of multi-cellular organisms. How these outcomes are regulated has prompted interest in intracellular mechanisms that build diversity in signaling outcomes. This review specifically addresses spatial positioning of molecules as a means of enabling interactions and novel outcomes of signaling cascades. Using the Notch and Ras pathways as exemplars, we describe mechanisms that contribute to diverse signaling outcomes.
inStem (Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine)


