Page 139 - The Miracle of Hormones

Communication Within The Cell

teins in our body and of these, the function of only two percent is com-
pletely understood. The function performed for human beings by many
44
proteins is still largely unknown.
The communications system among cells in some ways resembles
systems used by human beings. For example, on the membranes of the
cells there are "antennae" that allow them to sense the messages that
come to them. Immediately under these antennae are "power stations"
which decode the message sent to the cell.
These antennae are located on the one hundred thousandth of a milli-

Communication within a cell begins when molecules carrying a message such as a hormone ap-
proach the cell. Receptors on the cell's membrane receive the message and relay it to other mol-
ecules in the cell that are responsible for communication. This facilitates the activation of certain
genes in the DNA and causes the production of the proteins contained in the message.

Secreted
protein

DNA in
nucleus
Activated
gene