Proteins that sense cellular environments – examples and implications

Abstract

The first step in the process of signal perception and transduction involves interaction between a stimulus and the specific protein that has the capacity to recognise the stimulus and to translate the interaction to the physical manifestation of a signal. The physical manifestation of the signal involves what is commonly referred to as a ‘protein conformational change’ that results in a change in a conformational equilibrium of the proteins that perceive the stimuli. Reflecting on our work, here I describe two specific examples of stimuli perception and signal transduction mechanisms, one relating to the protein AioX that is found in a prokaryotic organism adapted to living under conditions of arsenic contamination, and the second example involving neuropilins - transmembrane proteins of significance for human health.