cAMP

Definition

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger molecule that mediates intracellular signal transduction in response to extracellular stimuli. Generated from ATP by adenylyl cyclase enzymes upon G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) activation, cAMP propagates signals by activating protein kinase A (PKA) and exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (EPAC). This signaling cascade regulates diverse cellular processes including metabolism, gene transcription, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. cAMP levels are tightly controlled by phosphodiesterases (PDEs) that hydrolyze cAMP to AMP, creating dynamic temporal patterns. The cAMP pathway is crucial for hormonal responses, neurotransmission, and immune function, making it a major therapeutic target in cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological diseases.

Visualize cAMP in Nodes Bio

Researchers can map cAMP signaling networks to visualize upstream GPCR activators, downstream effector proteins like PKA and EPAC, and their transcriptional targets. Network analysis reveals pathway crosstalk, feedback loops, and compartmentalization patterns. Users can integrate multi-omics data to identify disease-specific perturbations in cAMP signaling, predict drug effects on pathway components, and discover novel regulatory nodes for therapeutic intervention.

Example Use Case

A pharmaceutical team investigating heart failure mechanisms uses network visualization to map β-adrenergic receptor signaling through cAMP. They integrate RNA-seq data from failing hearts with protein interaction databases, revealing that reduced adenylyl cyclase 6 expression creates a bottleneck in cAMP production. The network shows compensatory upregulation of PDE4 isoforms and altered PKA substrate phosphorylation patterns. This visualization identifies PDE4 inhibitors as potential therapeutics and reveals biomarkers for patient stratification in clinical trials.

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