signal transduction
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signal transduction
n.
The process by which a signal, such as a hormone or a change in the concentration of an ion, is converted into a biochemical response by means of the activation of a receptor on the surface or interior of a cell.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
signal transduction
Biochemical conversion that is part of a process, such as the docking of hormone to receptor, stimulating cellular production of specific enzymes or other proteins.
See also: transduction
Medical Dictionary, © 2009 Farlex and Partners
signal transduction
The common process by which the binding of a molecule to a receptor on a cell plasma membrane results in the transmission of a signal within the cell (second messenger) to trigger off a biochemical pathway in the cell.Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005
signal transduction
control of cellular activity by way of an extracellular signal being transduced into an intracellular response. This involves a cell surface receptor that responds to an external signalling compound by carrying the signal across the cell membrane to influence intracellular activities, such as expression of the genome. For example, the compound may bind to the receptor, altering its conformation, and result in the activation of an intracellular protein by phosphorylation. This, in turn, can initiate the transduction pathway in the cell. Some signals to which cells respond are ANTIGENS, HORMONES, GROWTH FACTORS, and the availability of nutrients or toxic substances.Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005