Cells continuously receive information from their environment and their neighbours.
These signals are transmitted to the inside of the cell where they induce biochemical reactions called signal transduction pathways. Deregulated signal transduction is a hallmark of cancer cells. During signal transduction, cellular components are chemically modified. One of the key chemical modifications used in signal transduction is the addition of phosphate groups, a reaction known as phosphorylation. These lipids then initiate other signal transduction cascades that ultimately alter cell activities.