Interorganelle Signalling and the Golgi Complex

Dear Colleagues,

The traditional paradigm in the field of signal transduction in eukaryotic cells envisions that signal transduction begins at the plasma membrane via the interaction between ligands coming from outside the cell and receptors, which will then generate intracellular signals and thereby modify activities and programs of the target cell. In the last two decades, however, it has become quite clear that a large number and variety of signaling molecules—such as G protein, kinases, phosphatases, and phospholipases—reside on endomembranes, and in particular, on endomembranes belonging to the intracellular membrane transport system, such as the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex, and play a role in intracellular signaling events. It is in fact possible that the majority of signal transduction molecules reside on endomembranes and operate in intracellular signaling.

From the evidence gathered so far, it appears that the intracellular signaling mechanisms can have functions that are different from those of the “classical” transduction systems. For example, auto-regulatory signals can be generated at the endomembrane by control systems or devices, in response to perturbations that would change important functional parameters of the organelle, in order to restore the organelle homeostasis. Alternatively, signals can be part of the communication mechanisms between the organelles inside the cell, for example, between transport organelles and cellular modules, such as energy production or motility. Finally, the signaling molecules localized on the endomembranes may function as a station for the processing and transmission of signals generated at the plasma membrane. The information available so far in the field of intracellular signaling, however, remains fragmentary, and although significant and stimulating, it remains insufficient to generate a complete understanding of the significance of these signaling mechanisms. Such an understanding would require a definition of the origins of the signals, of the flow of information through the signaling mechanisms, of the molecular composition of the signaling cascades, and of the effector systems that implement the cellular responses. The progress that will take place in the next few years in this area of cell biology will most likely have an important impact on our understanding of the overall functional organization of eukaryotic cells, and of the cellular physiology and pathology.

Dr. Daniela Corda
Dr. Carmen Valente
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• interorganelle signalling
• signalling
• Golgi membranes
• intracellular membrane
• Golgi enzymes
• posttranslational modification
• control mechanisms
• kinases and phosphatases