Cell Communication

Overview
 Cell Communication
• Is essential for multicellular organisms
• Biologists have discovered some universal
mechanisms.
• One of the oldest signaling pathways is found
in two types of yeast.
LE 11-2
Exchange of Receptor a factor
mating factors

a a

Yeast cell, a factor Yeast cell,

mating type a mating type a

Mating

a a

New a/a cell

a/a
 Local Signaling
• 1) Animal and plant cells have cell junctions
that directly connect the cytoplasm of
adjacent cells:
• A) Gap junctions in animal cells
• B) Plasmodesmata in plant cells
 Local Signaling
(continued)
• 2) Animal cells may communicate by direct
contact called cell-to-cell recognition.
• Examples: immune system cells
 Local Signaling
(continued)
• 3) Animal cells may communicate by local
regulators, messenger molecules that travel
only short distances.
• A) Paracrine signaling between body cells
• B) Synaptic signaling between neurons
LE 11-3
Plasma membranes

Gap junctions Plasmodesmata

between animal cells between plant cells
Cell junctions

Cell-cell recognition
 LE 11-4

Local signaling Long-distance signaling

Target cell Electrical signal Endocrine cell Blood

along nerve cell vessel
triggers release of
neurotransmitter

Neurotransmitter
Secreting Secretory diffuses across
cell vesicle synapse Hormone travels
in bloodstream
to target cells

Local regulator
diffuses through Target cell Target
extracellular fluid is stimulated cell

Paracrine signaling Synaptic signaling

Hormonal signaling
 Long distance Signaling
• In long distance signaling, plants and animals use
chemical messengers called hormones.
• Hormones fall into two main categories:
• 1) peptide or protein: these are polar (water-
soluble) and cannot pass through the lipid
bilayer; must bind to a receptor in the cell
membrane
• 2) steroid: are lipids and can pass through the
cell membrane and bind to an intracellular
receptor; hormone/receptor complex acts as a
transcription factor and turns on genes.
 Signaling Pathways
• Earl W. Sutherland studied the hormone
epinephrine (adrenaline).
• Suggested cells receiving signals went through
3 processes:
• 1) Reception
• 2) Transduction
• 3) Response
 LE 11-5_3

EXTRACELLULAR CYTOPLASM
FLUID
Plasma membrane

Reception Transduction Response

Receptor

Activation
of cellular
response
Relay molecules in a signal transduction
pathway

Signal
molecule
 Membrane Receptors
• Most signaling molecules (ligands) are
peptides or proteins, thus most receptors are
in the cell membrane.
• There are 3 main kinds of membrane
receptors:
• 1) G-protein linked receptors
• 2) Tyrosine-kinase receptors
• 3) Ligand-gated ion channels