Signal Transduction Pathway
Definition
A signal transduction pathway is a series of molecular events through which cells respond to external signals. These pathways convert these signals into cellular responses.
Analogy
Imagine you're at home and your doorbell rings - that's your external signal. Your brain processes this sound (the pathway), leading you to get up and answer the door (the response). That's essentially what happens in a cell during a signal transduction pathway!
Related terms
Receptor Protein: Proteins located either on the surface or inside cells that receive signals or stimuli.
Second Messenger System: Part of some signal transduction pathways; these are molecules that relay signals received at receptors on the cell surface.
Effector Protein: Proteins that perform specific tasks following activation by receptor proteins in signal transduction pathways.
"Signal Transduction Pathway" appears in:
Study guides (2)
Practice Questions (6)
- How many stages of the cell signaling/signal transduction pathway are there?
- What happens in the last stage of the signal transduction pathway?
- __ and __ can greatly alter and change the downstream components of the signal transduction pathway.
- Not all components of the signal transduction pathway are __.
- How can denatured proteins significantly alter/change the signal transduction pathway?
- How do growth chemicals activate the signal transduction pathway?
Resources
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