Cell Signaling:

Self or external signals

Most signal receptors are proteins
Different receptors on the same cell and same stimulus can change the outcome
Signal, Receptor Response
o These pathways are ancient (in prokaryotes too)
Stimuli/Signals
o Physical (light, touch)
o Chemical are often in low concentrations
Autocrine (self signals)
Juxtacrine (adjacent cells)
Paracrine (nearby cells)
Hormones (distant)
Responses
o Day to day regulation
Reversible
o Life arc changes (developmental/growth)
Generally non-reversible
o Long term changes tend to affect the DNA
Caused by steroid hormone
Crosstalk: Signal transduction pathways
o Pathways can branch, one protein may activate multiple pathways
o Multiple pathways on a single transcription facto
o One pathway may be activated (listen to only one signal)
Receptor proteins have very specific binding sites for chemical signal molecules, or
ligands
o Some can make it so that the receptors hold on to the signal or alter the receptor
protein
o Binding is reversible
Kd is the dissociation constant for a particular receptor and ligand
o Lower Kd mean a stronger affinity
Protein kinase receptors
o For day to day bodily functions
o