Understanding ERK dynamics across scales: from measurement to interpretation

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is a multifunctional signaling molecule that plays central roles in embryonic development, tissue homeostasis, regeneration, and disease. Recent advances in live-cell imaging, genetically encoded biosensors, and quantitative image analysis have revealed that ERK activity is not simply regulated by static activation states, but rather by dynamic patterns including stochastic pulses, oscillations, and propagating waves. Growing evidence from diverse biological systems, ranging from Drosophila to mammalian tissues and human organoids, suggests that these dynamic signaling behaviors are fundamental regulators of tissue organisation and function.This special issue will invite original research and review articles that showcase recent advances in measuring, quantifying and interpreting ERK activity dynamics from single cells to multicellular organisms. We particularly welcome contributions describing novel approaches for measuring, quantifying, and interpreting ERK activity dynamics. These include the development of improved biosensors and reporters, innovative imaging technologies for long-term and large-scale live-cell observation, computational methods for cell segmentation, tracking, and dynamic feature extraction, as well as mathematical and theoretical frameworks that integrate large-scale imaging datasets and link signaling dynamics to cellular behaviors and tissue-level functions.The proposed Topic aims to provide a multidisciplinary platform connecting developmental biology, cell biology, systems biology, quantitative imaging, and computational modeling communities. By highlighting both technological innovations and biological discoveries, this collection will help establish a comprehensive view of how ERK signaling dynamics govern cellular decision-making in development, physiology, and disease.The topics will cover novel experimental approaches for recording ERK dynamics, such as improved biosensors, novel imaging techniques; computational methods for quantifying dynamic features from the imaging data; and theoretical frameworks that link the observed dynamics to cellular behaviours. Topic editors: Timm Schroeder, Toru Hiratsuka, Purna Gadre Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82920/understanding-erk-dynamics-across-scales-from-measurement-to-interpretation