The focal adhesion pathway shown in Figure 3 illustrates bimodal genes that mediate cell communication at the interior of the cell including genes that encode proteins involved in phosphorylation (ERK1/2, JNK, MEK1, MLCK, PAK, and PDK1).
Cell-derived membrane-bound microvesicles (MVs) have also been shown to play an important role in mediating cell – cell communication and in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases [ 9- 13].
Thus, secreted miRNAs can serve as a novel class of signaling molecules in mediating cell-cell communication.
Notch encodes a transmembrane receptor mediating cell-cell communication, and Notch signalling has been implicated in a wide variety of cellular processes, including the maintenance of stem cells, specification of cell fate, differentiation, and proliferation [ 71].
Several studies in the last five years have indicated that EV are important components of the tumor microenvironment and, mediating cell-cell communication, are currently considered one of the contributors to tumor progression and metastasis [ 31].
ERECTA (ER) encodes a RLK involved in mediating cell-cell communication in several plant developmental contexts (van Zanten et al., 2009), including repression of xylem expansion in hypocotyls (Ragni et al., 2011).
MAPK pathway mediates cell communication with extracellular environments [ 34] and regulates a broad array of biological processes, including focal adhesion [ 37] that also controlling cell communication [ 35].
KEGG pathways that were enriched for bimodal genes include cell communication, ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion – all pathways that mediate cell communication with the extracellular environment (Table 3).
Cell adhesion is a critical process that mediates cell communication with its surrounding physical environment via many complex extracellular and intracellular interactions.
One of the main canonical pathways clustered by the down-regulated genes induced by F4ab ETEC is ECM-receptor interaction (KEGG), which affects cell migration [ 33] and mediates cell communication with the extracellular environments [ 34, 35].
