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Sci. Signal., 28 April 2009
Vol. 2, Issue 68, p. ec151
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.268ec151]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Modeling Model Progesterone Response

L. Bryan Ray

Science, Science Signaling, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

The hormone progesterone stimulates maturation of oocytes in the toad Xenopus laevis by binding to its receptor. Although receptor number and affinity for the hormone stay relatively constant, the dose of hormone required to stimulate meiotic maturation varies according to the environmental stimuli to which the animal is exposed, but little is known about how this is regulated. Justman et al. (see the Perspective by Skotheim) combined experimental analysis and mathematical modeling to explore the role of glycogen synthase kinase-3β in desensitization, and a natural, sensitizing costimulus, the amino acid L-leucine. The results help to explain the layered complexity seen in signal transduction networks: If multiple stimuli act upon components of linked feedback loops, cells can tune their sensitivities dynamically to match their environment.

Q. A. Justman, Z. Serber, J. E. Ferrell Jr., H. El-Samad, K. M. Shokat, Tuning the activation threshold of a kinase network by nested feedback loops. Science 324, 509–512 (2009). [Abstract] [Full Text]

J. M. Skotheim, To divide or not to divide. Science 324, 476–477 (2009). [Summary] [Full Text]

Citation: L. B. Ray, Model Progesterone Response. Sci. Signal. 2, ec151 (2009).

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