Endocytosis As a Stabilizing Mechanism for Tissue Homeostasis
Endocytosis as a stabilizing mechanism for tissue homeostasis Miri Adlera, Avi Mayoa, Xu Zhoub,c, Ruth A. Franklinb,c, Jeremy B. Jacoxb,c, Ruslan Medzhitovb,c,1, and Uri Alona,1 aDepartment of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel; bHoward Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510; and cDepartment of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510 Contributed by Ruslan Medzhitov, January 2, 2018 (sent for review August 15, 2017; reviewed by Michael B. Elowitz and Wendell A. Lim) Cells in tissues communicate by secreted growth factors (GF) and also has another fixed point: Below a certain initial concentra- other signals. An important function of cell circuits is tissue home- tion of T cells the population decays to zero cells, converging to a ostasis: maintaining proper balance between the amounts of stable OFF state (14, 18). A stable OFF state in addition to a different cell types. Homeostasis requires negative feedback on stable ON state is a form of bistability (24–28). The OFF state the GFs, to avoid a runaway situation in which cells stimulate each may help to avoid unwanted fluctuations in which a small group other and grow without control. Feedback can be obtained in at of cells expands to give rise to a new tissue. least two ways: endocytosis in which a cell removes its cognate GF To approach the complexity of a multicell-type tissue there is by internalization and cross-inhibition in which a GF down-regulates need to explore circuits of more than one cell type.
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