Editorial: Research topic; Deciphering signaling pathway interactions in tissue homeostasis

Abstract

Cells, tissues and organisms need to maintain levels and balances of metabolites and functional systems whilst constantly being under the influence of external pressures, a process known as homeostasis. Cells need to achieve this to survive and prosper, and such control is determined by the cell signaling pathways involved. There have been many reviews on the topic, for example, showing the range of cell types and tissues that have been studied, such as B cells (Woodland et al., 2006), T cells (Sprent et al. 2008), and liver cells (Stanger, 2015). To maintain cellular homeostasis, cells need to perceive a range of extracellular signals, and coordinate these into an appropriate response. This involves extracellular signals such as cytokines, oxygen levels and ATP, as well as cell surface receptors, intracellular signaling pathways and intracellular organelles, in a process which has been dubbed the homeostatic circuit (Meizlish et al. 2021). This is an extremely complex, but instrumental system, to ensure cellular, and organismal, longevity.