Alternative definition : KEGG: The Notch signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved, intercellular signaling
mechanism essential for proper embryonic development in all metazoan organisms in
the Animal kingdom. The Notch proteins (Notch1-Notch4 in vertebrates) are single-pass
receptors that are activated by the Delta (or Delta-like) and Jagged/Serrate families
of membrane-bound ligands. They are transported to the plasma membrane as cleaved,
but otherwise intact polypeptides. Interaction with ligand leads to two additional
proteolytic cleavages that liberate the Notch intracellular domain (NICD) from the
plasma membrane. The NICD translocates to the nucleus, where it forms a complex with
the DNA binding protein CSL, displacing a histone deacetylase (HDAc)-co-repressor
(CoR) complex from CSL. Components of an activation complex, such as MAML1 and histone
acetyltransferases (HATs), are recruited to the NICD-CSL complex, leading to the transcriptional
activation of Notch target genes.;