11 Facts About Cell signaling

Cell signaling is a fundamental property of all cellular life in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Cell signaling can occur over short or long distances, and as a result can be classified as autocrine, juxtacrine, intracrine, paracrine, or endocrine.

Autocrine signaling is a special case of paracrine signaling where the secreting cell has the ability to respond to the secreted signaling molecule.

Synaptic signaling is a special case of paracrine signaling or juxtacrine signaling between neurons and target cells.

Autocrine signaling involves a cell secreting a hormone or chemical messenger that binds to autocrine receptors on that same cell, leading to changes in the cell itself.

Specificity of signaling can be controlled if only some cells can respond to a particular hormone.

Endocrine Cell signaling involves the release of hormones by internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory system, regulating distant target organs.

Juxtacrine signaling is a type of cell–cell or cell–extracellular matrix signaling in multicellular organisms that requires close contact.

Juxtacrine signaling has been observed for some growth factors, cytokine and chemokine cellular signals, playing an important role in the immune response.

In unicellular organisms such as bacteria, signaling can be used to 'activate' peers from a dormant state, enhance virulence, defend against bacteriophages, etc.

Cell signaling research involves studying the spatial and temporal dynamics of both receptors and the components of signaling pathways that are activated by receptors in various cell types.