Cytosol-to-membrane (CYME) translocation triggered by signal induction is a common property shared by proteins involved in the overwhelming majority of membrane receptor-associated intracellular signalling cascades. Proteins migrating to the plasma membrane may thus be viewed as specific biosensors that allow monitoring of activation (or deactivation) time-courses of individual signalling pathways in live cells.

The CYME concept is based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) between two biosensor molecules, one associated with the plasma membrane, and the other, specific for a given cellular signalling pathway, able to translocate from the cytosol to the membrane (or vice versa).