Question

Why are phosphorylation cascades useful?

Answer 1

Phosphorylation cascades play a vital role in regulating many intra cellular processes such as growth, proliferation and cell division.

Explanation:

Ligand binding at the cell surface establishes a phosphorylation cascade, with the phosphorylation of another, subsequently amplifying a signal and transmitting it through the cell. The signal continues to propogate until it is switched off by the action of phosphate.

This may open up an enzymes active site allowing it to perform chemical reactions. It may frequently generate a binding site allowing a specific interaction with a molecular partner.

Any perturbations in the phosphorylation cascade are likely to drive many of the hallmarks of cancer. Over expression or mutations that lead to constitutive activation of phosphorylation machinery will inevitably disrupt its delicate balance in the cell, driving the inappropriate activation or deactivation of cellular processes it controls.