Question

Hormones are present in tiny concentrations, yet have large effects on target cells and on the individual as a whole. This is possible because a single hormone molecule a. can bind to many receptors at once. b. can activate many intracellular enzymes. c. can initiate transcription of DNA by binding to cell-surface receptors. d. can bind irreversibly to its receptor.

Name: Problem 7, Chapter 49: Biological Science
Uploaded: 2020-06-26T16:35:25-08:00
Duration: 58 s
Channel: Simon Sauvageau
Description: Hormones are present in tiny concentrations, yet have large effects on target cells and on the individual as a whole. This is possible because a single hormone molecule a. can bind to many receptors at once. b. can activate many intracellular enzymes. c. can initiate transcription of DNA by binding to cell-surface receptors. d. can bind irreversibly to its receptor.

   Hormones are present in tiny concentrations, yet have large effects on target cells and on the individual as a whole. This is possible because a single hormone molecule
a. can bind to many receptors at once.
b. can activate many intracellular enzymes.
c. can initiate transcription of DNA by binding to cell-surface receptors.
d. can bind irreversibly to its receptor.

Biological Science

Scott Freeman,… 5th Edition

Chapter 49, Problem 7

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Solved by Expert Simon Sauvageau

06/26/2020

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They are present in tiny concentrations, yet they have large effects on target cells and on the individual as a whole. Show more…

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Hormones are present in tiny concentrations, yet have large effects on target cells and on the individual as a whole. This is possible because a single hormone molecule a. can bind to many receptors at once. b. can activate many intracellular enzymes. c. can initiate transcription of DNA by binding to cell-surface receptors. d. can bind irreversibly to its receptor.

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Key Concepts

Signal Amplification

In endocrine signaling, a tiny amount of hormone can lead to a massive cellular response because the signal is amplified through a series of multi-step processes. This means that a single hormone molecule can trigger a cascade of intracellular events, each step multiplying the effect, thereby ensuring that even very low concentrations of the hormone have significant physiological impacts.

Intracellular Enzyme Cascades

When a hormone binds to its specific receptor on a target cell, it often initiates a series of enzyme reactions inside the cell. This cascade mechanism rapidly amplifies the original signal, as each activated enzyme can, in turn, activate many molecules of the next enzyme in the sequence. This process explains how a small trigger leads to a large and coordinated cellular response.

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