Biology / Unit 4 Bio 0817 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Terminating a Signal
Captions available
The idea
A cell terminates a signal by degrading its ligand and by reversing the intracellular modifications the signal caused, such as dephosphorylating a target protein.
In practice
A phosphatase enzyme removes the phosphate a kinase added earlier, reversing that cascade step.
Where people slip
A cascade's initiation and termination are both actively managed — a signal does not fade away on its own.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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