Endocytosis and signalling: A meeting with mathematics

Although endocytosis has traditionally been understood as a signal attenuation mechanism, an emerging view considers endocytosis as an integral part of signal propagation and processing. On the short time scale, trafficking of endocytic vesicles contributes to signal propagation from the surface to distant targets, with bi-directional communication between signalling and trafficking. Mathematical modelling helps combine the mechanistic, molecular knowledge with rigorous analysis of the complex output dynamics of endocytosis in time and space. Simulations reveal novel roles for endocytosis, including the control of cell polarity, enhancing the spatial signal propagation, and controlling the signal magnitudes, kinetics, and synchronization with stimulus dynamics.