Cell activation is the transition of a quiescent cell to a functionally engaged state in response to external stimuli, accompanied by coordinated changes in signaling, gene expression, metabolism, and morphology. The process begins when ligands, antigens, cytokines, growth factors, or pathogen-associated molecules, …
Cell activation is the transition of a quiescent cell to a functionally engaged state in response to external stimuli, accompanied by coordinated changes in signaling, gene expression, metabolism, and morphology. The process begins when ligands, antigens, cytokines, growth factors, or pathogen-associated molecules, engage cell-surface receptors, triggering intracellular cascades such as kinase phosphorylation relays and transcription-factor activation that reprogram the cell for proliferation, differentiation, secretion, or effector function. In immunology, activation is central to host defense: antigen recognition and co-stimulation drive lymphocyte clonal expansion and cytokine release, while innate cells mount inflammatory and antimicrobial responses. Activation states must be tightly regulated, since insufficient responses permit infection and tumor escape, whereas excessive or dysregulated activation contributes to autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and cytokine-driven pathology. The concept also applies to metabolic reprogramming that accompanies activation and to the signaling networks that integrate multiple inputs to determine cell fate. The journal publishes peer-reviewed research in cell and molecular biology and immunology relevant to activation, including vaccine-induced and cytokine-mediated immune responses, immunomodulation in infection and cancer, immunomonitoring and immunoassay approaches, and the transcriptional and signaling pathways that govern how cells respond to their environment.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 38 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Cell Activation, linking to each citing work.