Life Sciences Commons^™

Cell Signaling Pathways Elicited By Asbestos, B T. Mossman, S Faux, Y Janssen, L A. Jimenez, Cynthia Timblin, Christine Zanella, Jonathan Goldberg, Eric Walsh, Aaron Barchowsky, Kevin Driscoll

Dartmouth Scholarship

In recent years, it has become apparent that minerals can trigger alterations in gene expression by initiating signaling events upstream of gene transactivation. These cascades may be initiated at the cell surface after interaction of minerals with the plasma membrane either through receptorlike mechanisms or integrins. Alternatively, signaling pathways may be stimulated by active oxygen species generated both during phagocytosis of minerals and by redox reactions on the mineral surface. At least two signaling cascades linked to activation of transcription factors, i.e., DNA-binding proteins involved in modulating gene expression and DNA replication, are stimulated after exposure of lung cells to …