Regulation of Inter- and Intracellular Signaling

The result of communication between the signaling and receiving cells is a defined biochemical reaction in the target cell. The nature and extent of this reaction depends on many individual processes that participate either directly or indirectly in signal transduction. 

Beginning with the hormone-producing cell, the following processes are all contributing factors for hormonal signal transduction in higher organisms (fig. 3.10)  

5) transmission and amplification of the signal, biochemical reaction in the target cell 

The amount, activity and specificity of receptors at the target cell influences the extent of the final biochemical reaction. The induced reaction cascade in the target cell 

A signal transduction chain can not be viewed as an isolated event within an organism, but should rather be interpreted in the context of other signaling pathways. The cell possesses a large repertoire of mechanisms by which the extent of signal transduction can be regulated and by which different signaling pathways commimicate. Many of these mechanisms will be dealt with in detail in later chapters. 

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