The hardware for cell signaling netoworks consists or cascades of chemical reactions. In recent times, it has become apparent that there
are many situations in which chemically identical systems exhibit distinctively different behavior, in a seeming defiance of the laws of chemistry. On closer inspection, key differences in such cases can be found in the spatial organization of the molecules. We have developed a strategy, based on solid-state nanofabrication, to induce controlled spatial rearrangements of molecules in otherwise chemically identical living cells. These spatial mutations allow precise studies of the
role of spatial organization in the function of living chemical reaction networks. We have recently applied this strategy to the study
of signaling in live T cells, and have discovered a novel mechanism by which the cytoskelton regulates signaling through the T cell receptor.
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