Among other functions, the Notch signaling prevents the differentiation [4] of muscle progenitor cells into mature muscle in animals. The Notch signaling pathway is a pathway in animals by which two adjacent cells within an organism use a protein named Notch to mechanically interact with each other. Myogenesis is the formation of muscle that occurs throughout an animal's development, from embry...

The rostro-caudal polarity within a somite is primarily determined by the on/off state of Notch signaling, but the mechanism by which Notch is repressed has remained elusive. Here, we present genetic and biochemical evidence that the suppression of Notch signaling is essential for the establishment of rostro-caudal polarity within a somite and that Mesp2 acts as a novel negative regulator of th...

The receptor tyrosine kinase/PI3K/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (RTK/PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway is frequently altered in cancer, but the underlying mechanism leading to tumorigenesis by activated mTOR remains less clear. Here we show that mTOR is a positive regulator of Notch signaling in mouse and human cells, acting through induction of the STAT3/p63/Jagged signaling cascade. Furthermore, in ...

Notch is a highly conserved transmembrane receptor that determines cell fate. Notch signaling denotes cleavage of the Notch intracellular domain, its translocation to the nucleus, and subsequent activation of target gene transcription. Involvement of Notch signaling in several cancers is well known, but its role in melanoma remains poorly characterized. Here we show that the Notch1 pathway is a...

The differentiation of precursor cells into neurons has been shown to be influenced by both the Notch signaling pathway and growth factor stimulation. In this study, the regulation of neuronal differentiation by these mechanisms was examined in the embryonic day 10 neuroepithelial precursor (NEP) population. By downregulating Notch1 expression and by the addition of a Delta1 fusion protein (Del...

The chicken retina is capable of limited regeneration. In response to injury, some Müller glia proliferate and de-differentiate into progenitor cells. However, most of these progenitors fail to differentiate into neurons. The Notch pathway is upregulated during retinal regeneration in both fish and amphibians. Since the Notch signaling pathway maintains cells in a progenitor state during develo...

Macrophages are important tumor-infiltrating cells and play pivotal roles in tumor growth and metastasis. Macrophages participate in immune responses to tumors in a polarized manner: classic M1 macrophages produce interleukin (IL) 12 to promote tumoricidal responses, whereas M2 macrophages produce IL10 and help tumor progression. The mechanisms governing macrophage polarization are unclear. Her...

Some of the signaling molecules required for formation of long-term memories are involved primarily in adult brain function, but others participate in a variety of other biological processes. The Notch signaling pathway, which is important for cell fate specification and differentiation in various systems, is also active in the mature brain. Here, we review evidence from recent studies indicati...

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of lens epithelial cells (LECs) is the major pathological mechanism in anterior subcapsular cataract (ASC) and posterior capsule opacification (PCO), which are important causes of visual impairment. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 pathway has been reported to play a major role in carcinogenesis, cancer metastasis and various fibrotic diseas...

Signaling through the Notch receptor has dramatically different effects depending on cell type and developmental timing. While a myriad of biological systems affected by Notch have been described, the molecular mechanisms by which a generic Notch signal is translated into a cell-type-specific output are less clear. Canonically, the Notch intracellular domain (NICD) translocates into the nucleus...