Question

A student claims the phosphorylation cascade is not a necessary function of the signal transduction pathway in determining if a cellular response will occur. Is the student correct? Justify your response with a specific scientific example.

Answer 1

I would argue that the student is incorrect. Can you think of a reason why?
Think about what phosphorylation does, in terms of protein activation and inactivation.
How does this activation/inactivation relate to the cascade being discussed here?

Answer 2

Use the JAK-STAT pathway as an example. Although the student is not entirely incorrect - there are some instances when phosphorylation isn't vital for signal transduction.