BI110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Cell Adhesion Molecule, Signal Transduction, Endoplasmic Reticulum
Document Summary
Molecular signals received by cells that have receptors tuned to specific signals. Only cells that have receptors tuned to specific signals can respond to those signals(different cell types produce different types of receptors) Key attribute of life: be able to respond to changes in the environment and cell signaling pathways are how organisms/cells are able to do it. Cell signaling involves membranes(cell signaling receptors bound to cell membrane etc) When signal (not always a molecule) binds receptor --> cellular response: changes in gene expression(common response)--> protein synthesis. Cell communication: cells communicate with one another through: Direct channels of communication: gap junctions(animal cells) --> spread of electrical signals between cells in cardiac muscle, plasmodesmata(plant cells) Specific contact between cells: cell adhesion molecules- integral membrane proteins that bind cells to one another or to extracellular matrix. Cells can also respond to other external signals that aren"t necessarily produced by other cells(different types of hormones)
