Abstract
Signal transduction pathways play essential roles in cell differentiation, proliferation, and survival. Their precise regulation is achieved through specific protein-protein interactions that mediate the assembly of protein complexes in response to different signals. Disturbances of the normal protein-protein interactions within signaling pathways can lead to many diseases, including cancer. In this review, Stagljar aims to highlight the emerging protein interaction technologies that are advancing the field of signal transduction. These approaches include stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture, SH2 profiling, target-assisted iterative screening, and the split-ubiquitin membrane yeast two-hybrid system. Although still at an early stage, these technologies show promise as useful methods for the characterization of novel components of various signal transduction pathways.