Multiscale modeling of subcellular signaling

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Background

Countless biological processes are performed and regulated by signaling pathways. These pathways often recruit networks of reactions driven by the binding of small molecules or proteins to target enzymes. Many of these reactions exploit the spatial organization of the cell to carry out their function by tailoring the localization of requisite enzymes. When the enzyme distribution is non-uniform, the diffusive transport of signaling molecules between important regions of the cell can influence the dynamics of enzymatic reactions. For such diffusion-influenced or limited reactions, consideration of the intricate cellular architecture and composition of the crowded cytosol may be important. Computational models that account for the cell and cytosol structure are thus important tools for understanding biological reactions. A prominent challenge, however, is that accuracy and computational expense must be carefully balanced, given that important spatial scales vary by orders of magnitude, from nanometer-sized proteins to micron-scale cellular structures. This disparity in spatial scales has motivated a wealth of multiscale modeling techniques that describe cellular-level details while preserving necessary microscopic aspects.

In this Research Topic we welcome researchers to describe their state-of-the-art methodology as it applies to modeling multiscale signaling processes within the cellular environment.

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