The AKAP Model

Intracellular diffusion of chemical signals is a molecular basis of cellular communication.  This theory was originally predicated on the notion that all regulatory enzymes are soluble and move with a Brownian motion.  Yet, these enzymes often have different roles in distinct subcellular compartments.  Thus, compartmentalization of enzymes is now recognized as an important molecular mechanism that helps to focus and restrict the scope of intracellular responses.  The Scott lab has discovered a family of A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) that sequester combinations of regulatory enzymes within subcellular microdomains.  Using state of the art of molecular, cellular and genetic approaches we have discovered and defined several macromolecular complexes “called “AKAP signaling islands” that reside at distinct subcellular locations, such as the plasma membrane, secretory vesicles, mitochondria and the actin cytoskeleton.  

For further details please read:  

Scott, J.D. and Pawson, T. (2009). Cell Signaling in Space and Time: Where Proteins Come Together and When They’re Apart. Science 326:1220-1224. PMCID: PMC3041271.

Omar MH and Scott JD. (2020) AKAP Signaling Islands: Venues for Precision Pharmacology. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 17: S0165-6147(20) 30213-3. PMID: 33082006.