Do cells respond the same way to the same signaling molecule?

The specific way in which a cell reacts to its environment varies. In many cases, the same signal molecule binds to identical receptor proteins yet produces very different responses in different types of target cells, reflecting differences in the internal machinery to which the receptors are coupled (Figure 15-9).

Do all cells have the same receptors?

Cells have proteins called receptors that bind to signaling molecules and initiate a physiological response. Different receptors are specific for different molecules. In fact, there are hundreds of receptor types found in cells, and varying cell types have different populations of receptors.

Can different cell types have similar responses to the same signal?

Different types of cells may respond differently to the same signal, but a single cell may also have different ways it can respond to a signal. Cellular response may also be made more efficient with the use of scaffold proteins, which move multiple proteins through the cytoplasm at once.

Are cell receptors specific?

Cell-surface receptors are also called cell-specific proteins or markers because they are specific to individual cell types. Each cell-surface receptor has three main components: an external ligand-binding domain, a hydrophobic membrane-spanning region, and an intracellular domain inside the cell.

Why do different cell types respond differently to the same hormone?

A target cell responds to a hormone because it bears receptors for the hormone. In other words, a particular cell is a target cell for a hormone if it contains functional receptors for that hormone, and cells which do not have such a receptor cannot be influenced directly by that hormone.

What do cellular receptors do?

Cellular receptors are proteins either inside a cell or on its surface, which receive a signal. In normal physiology, this is a chemical signal where a protein-ligand binds a protein receptor. Typically, a single ligand will have a single receptor to which it can bind and cause a cellular response.

How do receptor cells work?

Cell receptors work in a similar way to football players: They receive signals and initiate a response. In biology, receptors are proteins or glycoproteins that receive signals by binding to signaling molecules, often called first messengers or ligands, that send a specific signal onward.

Do cells respond to every single?

Cells do not respond to every signal. Cells only respond to signals that they have the receptors to detect.

What happens during cellular response?

The binding of chemical signals to their corresponding receptors induces events within the cell that ultimately change its behaviour. The nature of these intracellular events differs according to the type of receptor.

What do receptors in cells receive from other cells?

How many receptors do cells have?

Receptors are protein molecules in the target cell or on its surface that bind ligands. There are two types of receptors: internal receptors and cell-surface receptors.

What are cellular receptors and how do they work?

That’s where cellular receptors come in. A receptor is a protein molecule in a cell or on the surface of a cell to which a substance (such as a hormone, a drug, or an antigen) can bind, causing a change in the activity of that particular cell.

Why do different types of cells respond differently to different chemical signals?

Also, the same chemical signal can trigger different responses in different types of cell. Cell surface receptors work in several ways when they are occupied. Some receptors enter the cell still bound to the chemical signal. Others activate membrane enzymes, which produce certain intracellular chemical mediators.

What happens if a cell doesn’t have the correct receptor?

In some cases, if a cell doesn’t have the correct receptor for a particular substance, then that substance won’t affect the cell. For example, leptin is the hormone that causes you to feel full and satiated following a big meal.

How do different cells respond to different ligands?

Only cells that express receptors respond to a ligand, all other cells have no way of knowing and ignore a ligand. For example, all cells in the body are exposed to circulating insulin but only cells in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue have receptors and respond to this hormone by increasing transport of glucose into the cells.