Abstract
Cell surface receptors are used to transmit extracellular information. The activation of cell surface receptors initiates signal transduction and receptor endocytosis. Signal transduction and the endosomal transport of activated receptors require precise regulation. New concepts for the integration of endocytosis and signaling arise from recent findings that suggest bidirectional interplay of these two processes. This review discusses the following questions: (i) do activated cell surface receptors modify the endosomal system to promote internalization and endosomal traffic, and (ii) do internalized cell surface receptors use specifically localized signaling complexes to generate specific biological signals?
Keywords: Endocytosis, signaling, receptor tyrosine kinase, adaptor, scaffold complex, subcellular localization
Footnotes
Received 14 January 2003; received after revision 3 March 2003; accepted 4 April 2003
Contributor Information
D. Teis, Email: david.teis@uibkac.at
L. A. Huber, Email: lukas.a.huber@uibk.ac.at