How do cells communicate? (Introduction)

by David Turell, (4207 days ago)

"Cells communicate through their own language of chemical signals. Different compounds, such as hormones and neurotransmitters, act like words and phrases, telling a cell about the environment around it or communicating messages. When the pancreas detects a person has just eaten, for example, it releases the hormone insulin to tell other cells in the body to remove glucose from the blood. Just as a person needs ears as much as a mouth to have a conversation, cells use receptor proteins either on the outer cell wall or inside the cell itself to “hear” different signals. Once the signal chemical binds to a receptor, that protein turns on a signaling cascade in the cell that ultimately leads to the cell's response. Every cell has receptors that can detect a lot of different signals, so they are constantly bombarded with biological conversation. Imagine being in a room and having everyone talking at you at once! So how does a plant use cellular communication to grow toward sunlight? The growing tips of plants produce auxin — a hormone that tells cells to grow and divide — which is then sent to the rest of the plant. The shady parts of a plant receive more auxin, which causes those cells to elongate while the sunny-side cells don't. When one side lengthens while the other side stays the same, the plant will bend."-http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2013/08/24/ask-discover-how-do-cells-communicate/-Look at the diagrams: B cell antigen receptor and Akt.-Do you need a decision-maker with these kinds of set up decision circuits?

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