Author
Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 3/18/2017 Publication Date: 5/5/2017 Citation: Klotz, J.L. 2017. Cell biology symposium: Membrane trafficking and signal transduction. Journal of Animal Science. 95:2183–2184. doi:10.2527/jas2017.1556. Interpretive Summary: Knowledge of membrane dynamics and receptor-ligand related responses are critical to a complete understanding of many of the tissue-level and whole animal level observations made in physiologic, pharmaceutical and toxicological research. The outcome of this basic research can have significant implications in animal agriculture in terms of impact of disease states, toxin exposure, and use of pharmaceutical and natural products on various aspects of animal production. Can studies that further the understanding of the membrane trafficking and cell signaling relationship be applied to solve problems relevant to livestock production? How do disease states alter the trafficking-signaling interconnection? To answer these questions, the objective of this symposium is to address protein and lipid aspects of transport within a membrane, how functions may change as a result of a pathological state, and how this basic science can be used to further the needs of livestock at the production level. Technical Abstract: In general, membrane trafficking is a broad group of processes where proteins and other large molecules are distributed throughout the cell as well as adjacent extracellular spaces. Whereas signal transduction is a process where signals are transmitted through a series of chemical or molecular events that eventually culminate in a response. The 2016 Cell Biology Symposium was organized because knowledge of membrane dynamics and receptor-ligand related responses are critical to a complete understanding of many of the tissue-level and whole animal level observations made in physiologic, pharmaceutical and toxicological research. The outcome of this basic research can have significant implications in animal agriculture in terms of impact of disease states, toxin exposure, and use of pharmaceutical and natural products on various aspects of animal production. The presentations in this symposium addressed a wide variety of topics ranging from basic aspects of vesicle fusion with plasma membranes, effects of receptor internalization and signaling endosomes, the make of the lipid bilayer and how this is altered in acute and chronic inflammation, to the role that membrane trafficking and signaling play the growth and composition of adipose tissue in cattle. This diversity in the content of the presentations really provided evidence of the breadth of the subject. Areas of research such as gastrointestinal barrier function, cellular interaction with the microbiome during an immune response, disruption of cellular signaling via a toxin, or signaling related to carbohydrate absorption from the small intestine, are all examples of research in animal science that can benefit from improved understanding of trafficking and signaling of membranes, at the cellular and subcellular levels. |