Signaling Agent
| Organelle Details | |
|---|---|
| Signaling Agent |  |
| |
| Close-up of a Signaling Agent | |
| Base Cost (MP) | 45 |
| Requires Nucleus | Yes |
| Processes | None |
| Enzymes | None |
| Size (Hexes) | 1 |
| Osmoregulation Cost | 1 |
| Storage | 0 |
| Unique | Yes |
| Upgrades | None |
| Internal Name | signalingAgent |
Allows sending simple commands to other members of a cell's species via chemical signals in the water.
Requirements
A cell must have a Nucleus to evolve Signaling Agents.
Processes
No processes.
Modifications
No processes.
Effects
If the player cell has Signaling Agents, the player can press a hotkey (defaults to V) to open the signaling command panel and issue a command to all members of their species. Each command persists until a new command is chosen. The options are:
- No command.
- Move to me. Non-player cells of the player's species swarm the player cell.
- Follow me. Non-player cells of the player's species move towards the player cell, but maintain some distance.
- Flee from me. Non-player cells of the player's species move away from the player cell.
- Become aggressive. Non-player cells of the player's species become significantly more likely to attack and chase other cells around them.
Non-player cells with Signaling Agents use them under the following conditions:
- If the cell is being attacked by a predator, it sends:
- "Follow me" if it's confident enough to launch toxin at the predator.
- "Flee from me" if it's fleeing from the predator.
- If the cell is going to be aggressive and has pili or toxin, it sends:
- "Become aggressive" if there's enough members of the same species near it. The amount needed depends on the species aggression level where fewer are needed the more aggressive it is.
- "Follow me" if there aren't enough members of the same species near it.
- If none of the above conditions are met, no command is sent.
Upgrades
No upgrades.
Strategy
While not essential, Signaling Agents are a good option if you wish to become a multicellular organism and enter the Multicellular Stage. By issuing the 'move to me' command, you can quickly gather other cells to bind with, providing you also have Binding Agents.
Or, by switching between the 'follow me' and 'become aggressive' commands, you can build a personal army to defend yourself from predators.
Scientific Background
Virtually all cells, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic, whether they are free-living unicellular organisms or make up part of a greater multicellular organism, possess mechanisms which allow them to communicate with other cells via chemical signals. Signaling molecules may be secreted by cells into the surrounding environment, where they will travel via passive diffusion until they reach a compatible receptor protein on another cell's surface, which will in turn relay information to other parts of the cell.
One prominent example of cell-to-cell signaling in bacteria and other prokaryotes is quorum sensing, in which bacteria emit chemical signals that signal other bacteria to express certain genes that are most beneficial when the overall density of bacterial cells in a given area is high; as the bacterial population increases, the concentration of signaling molecules increases, triggering the bacteria to express the relevant genes.