NOTCH LIN-12 SIGNALING - TRANSDUCTION BY REGULATED PROTEIN SLICING/

Intercellular signaling through the Notch/LIN-12 transmembrane recepto rs regulates growth and differentiation during animal development. Mor eover, defects in the conserved Notch/LIN-12 pathway are linked to hum an diseases. Here, we review models for two key steps in Notch/LIN-12 signaling: ligand-mediated activation of the receptor and receptor-med iated activation of transcription. Ligand binding appears to permit pr oteolysis of the receptor; as a result, the receptor's intracellular d omain can enter the nucleus and function as a transcriptional co-activ ator.