Ever wondered how mammalian cells sense osmotic stress? There's gotta be a signaling pathway, right?
We propose a *one-component system*: NFAT5, the transcription factor that executes the osmoprotective response, is also the stress sensor!
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
science.org
Direct ionic stress sensing and mitigation by the transcription factor NFAT5
Intracellular ionic strength is sensed and regulated by a prion-like domain in a transcription factor.