CELL

SIGNALING
GLYDEL BETH N. CADATAL
ZAIRA TAYAWA VILLAROZA
 CELL SIGNALLING
Most cells in a plant or animal are specialized to
carry out one or more specific functions. Many
biological processes require various cells to work
together and to coordinate their activities. To make
this possible, cells have to communicate with each
other, which is accomplished by a process called
cell signaling.
 CELL
SIGNALLING
• Cell signaling is the ability of all cells to
produce, receive, and respond to external
signals/conditions.
• Cell signaling enables coordination within
multicellular organisms.
What Kind of Signals Do Cells Receive?
● In prokaryotic organisms, they have sensors that detect nutrients
and help them navigate toward food sources.
● In multicellular organisms, growth factors, hormones,
neurotransmitters, and extracellular matrix components are some
of the many types of chemical signals cells use.
○ These substances can exert their effects locally, or they might travel
over long distances.
 KEY COMPONENTS OF A CELL SIGNALING
● LIGAND is a small signaling
molecule that binds and forms a
complex with another biomolecule or
receptor.
● RECEPTOR is a biomolecule
(protein) that changes shape (or
conformation) upon ligand binding.
● Conformational change leads to a
series of events, ultimately ending
with a cellular RESPONSE.
 CELLULAR RESPONSE
● At the molecular level, we can see
changes such as an increase in the
transcription of certain genes or the
activity of particular enzymes.
● At the macroscopic level, we may be
able to see changes in the outward
behavior or appearance of the cell,
such as cell growth or cell death, that
are caused by the molecular changes.
 CELL SIGNALING
SENDING CELL
● This cell secretes a ligand

TARGET CELL
● This cell has a receptor that can bind the ligand
EXTRACELLULAR CYTOPLASM
FLUID
Plasma membrane
A signal molecule binds to a
Reception
specific receptor, causing it to
change its shape.
Receptor

Signal
molecule
EXTRACELLULAR CYTOPLASM
FLUID
Plasma membrane Cascades of molecular
interactions relay signals from
Reception Transduction receptors to target molecules in
the cell.
Receptor

Relay molecules in a signal transduction

pathway

Signal
molecule
EXTRACELLULAR CYTOPLASM
FLUID
Plasma membrane

Reception Transduction Response

Receptor

Activation
of cellular
response
Relay molecules in a signal transduction
pathway

Cell signaling leads to regulation

Signal
of cytoplasmic activities or
molecule
transcription.
 FORMS OF CELL SIGNALLING
There are four basic categories of chemical signaling
found in multicellular organisms:
• paracrine signaling
• autocrine signaling
• endocrine signaling
• signaling through cell-cell contact
The main difference between the different categories of
signaling is the distance that the signal travels through
the organism to reach the target cell.
 PARACRINE SIGNALING
● cells communicate over relatively short distances

● allows cells to locally coordinate activities with their neighbors

● important during development

○ they allow one group of cells to tell a neighboring group of cells what cellular
identity to take on
 EXAMPLE OF PARACRINE SIGNALING
● SYNAPTIC SIGNALING

○ Nerve cells transmit signals

○ This process is named for the

synapse, the junction between two
nerve cells where signal transmission
occurs
 AUTOCRINE SIGNALING
● a cell signals to itself, releasing a ligand that binds to receptors on its own surface

● important during development

○ helping cells take on and reinforce their correct identities

○ play a key role in metastasis

Ex: Cytokines/Immune Cells, Growth Factors

 ENDOCRINE SIGNALING
● cells transmit signals over long distances

○ often use the circulatory system as a distribution network for the messages they send

● signals are produced by specialized cells and released into the bloodstream, which carries them to target
cells in distant parts of the body

● signals are produced in one part of the body and travel through the circulation to reach far-away targets are
known as hormones.
 ENDOCRINE SIGNALING
In humans, endocrine glands release hormones:
● Thyroid
● Hypothalamus
● Pituitary
● Gonads (testes and ovaries)
● Pancreas
 SIGNALING THROUGH CELL-CELL CONTACT
● Gap junctions in animals and plasmodesmata in plants are tiny channels that
directly connect neighboring cells.
● These water-filled channels allow small signaling molecules, called intracellular
mediators, to diffuse between the two cells.
● small molecules and ions are able to move between cells
● large molecules like proteins and DNA cannot fit through the channels without
special assistance.
 SIGNALING THROUGH CELL-CELL CONTACT
● Two cells may bind to one another because they carry complementary
proteins on their surfaces. When the proteins bind to one another, this
interaction changes the shape of one or both proteins, transmitting a signal.
● This kind of signaling is especially important in the immune system, where
immune cells use cell-surface markers to recognize “self” cells (the body's
own cells) and cells infected by pathogens.
THANK YOU!!!