MESSENGERS

in
CHEMICAL SIGNALING
At this very moment, your cells are sending and
receiving millions of messages in the form of
chemical signaling molecules!
Chemical messenger/Chemical signal/
Signaling Molecule
✓Produced by a sending cell.
✓Proteins or any compound that serves to transmit
a message.
oCells communicate with each other by means of chemical
signals.
oThese signals are often called ligands, a general term for
molecules that bind specifically to other molecules (such as
receptors).
oCell-cell signaling involves the transmission of a signal from
a sending cell to a receiving cell. However, not all sending
and receiving cells are next-door neighbors,
 4 Basic Categories 0f Chemical Signaling
1. Autocrine signaling
2. Direct Contact Signaling
3. Paracrine signaling
4. Endocrine signaling

The main difference between the different categories of

signaling is the distance that the signal travels to reach the target
cell.
Classifications of Chemical Messengers

Autocrine Messengers
Juxtacrine Messengers
Paracrine Messengers
Neurocrine Messengers
Endocrine Messengers
 1. Autocrine Messengers
❑ The signal molecule that is released by the cell targets itself.
❑ Binds to its own receptors
Example: Leukotrienes
–involved in the Immune System of the body
(Inflammatory response)
 2. Juxtacrine Messengers
❑ Signals that are released through junctions of cells.
 3. Paracrine Messengers
❑ Signals that are released by secreting cell to a relatively
short-distant cells.
Examples:
Prostaglandins Histamine
 4. Neurocrine Messengers (Neurotransmitters)
❑ Signals diffused from neuron to neuron or neuron to target
cell.
Examples:
Acetylcholine

Dopamine
 5. Endocrine Messengers (Hormones)
❑ Signals are released by the Endocrine glands in the form of
Hormones.
❑ Travels through the blood stream to reach the target cell.
Examples:
Growth Hormone Insulin
Secreting
Target Cell
Cell
Possible Questions

What is the general term for signal molecules/ Chemical Signals

-Ligands
What type of Chemical Messenger is Insulin
-Endocrine Messenger (Hormone)
How does Autocrine works
-Released signal binds to its own receptor
Give the four Classifications of Chemical Messengers