Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Interwoven Pathways
04 August 2016

Interwoven Pathways

There’s a host of proteins in our cells that belong to signalling pathways – cascades of proteins that trigger biochemical events. One kind called ERK transmits signals from receptors on the cell’s surface to the DNA in the cell’s nucleus, playing a crucial role in instructing cells to multiply and divide. When this pathway is over-activated, cells multiply uncontrollably, and cancer growth can occur. In some patients with colorectal cancer, defects in the ERK1/2 pathway have been found to stimulate tumour growth. While trying to find a way to block this pathway, researchers discovered that an alternative pathway, ERK5, appeared, allowing cancerous cells to continue dividing and spreading – pictured on the right with green fluorescence showing disorganised intestinal cell proliferation when the ERK1/2 pathway is blocked (compared with normal, organised cell growth on the left). This is vital knowledge that could lead to more effective treatments for colorectal cancer patients.

Written by Katie Panteli

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.