Name______________________________________________________Date_____________Period_________

Cell Receptor Lab

Adapted From Andrew Henriksen, Amityville Memorial High School
Background:
Cell receptors are places where “receiving” takes place on a cell. Cell receptors are imbedded in the cell
membrane and will attach to specific chemicals, many of which are hormones. The hormone must fit exactly with
the receptor using a complementary shape like 2 puzzle pieces. Once this specific chemical or hormone fits into
the receptor, it will release a message to the cell’s nucleus and instruct it to do something. Cell receptors are very
specific, like antibodies. As a matter of fact, some receptors are antibodies that imbed themselves into the cell
membrane and become locations to receive messages.
The cell that has the correct receptor to match the hormone is called the target cell. This is because it is
the “target” that the hormone is trying to reach. Only target cells have the correct cell receptor for the hormone,
all other cells will not receive the hormone’s message because they lack the proper cell receptor.

Hormone/Chemical Messenger

Cell Receptor (notice how it is embedded

in the cell membrane)

Cell Membrane of the Target Cell

There are many examples of hormones and target cells in the human body. The male hormone
testosterone will bind to the cell receptors on hair follicle cells of the chest and face to tell them to grow hair (as
associated with puberty), but testosterone will not fit into cell receptors for nerve cells. This is because the nerve
cells are not the “target” of testosterone, and do not have the proper cell receptor for testosterone to fit with.
Occasionally, a chemical antigen can fit into a cell receptor of a cell, such as pet dander. The dander can
attach to the receptor of a mast cell. This causes the release of histamines from the mast cells. Histamines are
chemical signals that go to cells of the nose, eyes, and sinuses. The histamines end up causing the itchiness,
running eyes/nose and other symptoms associated with allergies. Depending on the person, they may have many
allergies, just one, or none based on how well the cell receptors are working.
T-cells (white blood cells) have receptors for chemical messengers called interleukins. Normally, the
interleukins will attach to the cell receptors and tell the cell to participate in an immune response. HIV can also fit
into the interleukin cell receptor. HIV invades the T-cell and causes the cell to shut down. Eventually this process
leads to AIDS once the HIV spreads to enough T-cells.
Finally, some steroids are artificial hormones. The steroids fit into the target cell’s cell receptors and turn
them on just like a natural hormone would. Often steroids have many negative side affects because the body
cannot regulate these synthetic chemicals because they are not natural. This can lead to the many side affects of
steroids, including cancer and decreased production of natural hormones.
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Purpose: To understand and model how cell receptors and hormones/chemical messengers work.

Materials:

 Scissors
 Glue Sticks
 Hormone Shapes Page

Procedure:

1. Using your scissors, cut out all the different hormones/chemical messengers from the last page of
the booklet.

2. Using the shape of the hormones as a guide, match a proper hormone into each cell receptor on
pages 3 and 4, and glue them into place.

3. Take all your remaining hormones and glue them to the storage area at the end of page 6. You
will need these to answer the questions later.

4. Knowing what hormone you have placed on each cell receptor, identify the name of the target
cell and the action that the target cell with take because it received the hormone’s message.

 See Example Below: I matched Luteinizing Hormone into the cell receptor and looked up
luteinizing hormone. LH is a hormone that prepares the uterus for the implantation of a
fertilized egg. This must make the target cell a uterus cell, and the action of the uterus cell
will be to prepare for the implantation of a fertilized egg.

 Please note, you will need to look these hormones up in the lab background reading and
in the index of your book to figure out the cell names and actions!

 FSH = Follicle Stimulating Hormone and TSH = Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

5. Clean up and place all waste in the garbage can.

Example:

Name of Hormone ______________

Name of Target Cell ______________

Target Cell’s Action ______________

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Name of Hormone ______________

Name of Target Cell 1 ______________

Target Cell’s Action ______________

Receptor #1

Name of Hormone ______________

Name of Target Cell 2 ______________

Target Cell’s Action ______________

Receptor #2

Name of Hormone ______________

Name of Target Cell 3 ______________

Target Cell’s Action ______________

Receptor #3 3
Name of Hormone ______________

Name of Target Cell 4 ______________

Target Cell’s Action ______________

Receptor #4

Name of Hormone ______________

Name of Target Cell 5 ______________

Target Cell’s Action ______________

Receptor #5

Name of Hormone ______________

Name of Target Cell 6 ______________

Target Cell’s Action ______________

Receptor #6

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Conclusion Questions: Write in complete sentences!
1. Describe how you were able to tell which messenger belonged to the cell receptor you glued it to.

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One way to prevent allergies is to take an antihistamine. Recall that histamine is released by the mast cells
when an allergen, such as pollen, fits into the mast cell’s cell receptor. The mast cell responds to this signal
from the allergen by releasing another hormone called histamine. An antihistamine stops the histamine from
causing the effects of itchiness and runny eyes/nose by fitting together with the histamine and not allowing it
to reach the next target cell receptor in the mucus and tear duct cells. Use this information and the chart
below and questions 2-4.

Patient X’s Histamine Data:

Date Tree Pollen Grass Pollen Ragweed Pollen Patient’s Histamine Level

6/30 High Low None 0.3 ng/mL

7/13 High Moderate None 0.5 ng/mL

7/27 Moderate High None 0.4 ng/mL

8/3 Low Moderate Low 1.2 ng/mL

8/17 None Low High 2.5 ng/mL

2. Explain how antihistamines work and why this is effective against allergies.

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3. Which type of pollen is Patient X more allergic to? How do you know?

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4. Assuming you owned the local pharmacy and most people’s allergies are similar to those described in the
table, what date would you raise the price of the antihistamine medicines you sell (assuming you have
poor moral character)? Why?

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5. What could be given to a woman who adopted an infant and would like to breast feed the baby? Why?

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6. Based on your observations of HIV and interleukin, what would be the problem with making a drug that
attached to HIV? Explain.

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7. If a chemical messenger or hormone was released into the blood stream it would travel throughout the
entire body. How would hormone know which cells are target cells?

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8. How would a hormone affect a non-target cell? Why?

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 Hormones/Chemical Messengers

FSH

Interleukin

Growth
Hormone

Prolactin

TSH

Dander

Estrogen
Testosterone

HIV

Luteinizing
Adrenaline
Hormone 7