Cell Membranes and Cell Signalling

Abstract

The lives of multicellular organisms wholly depend on the ability of their cells to communicate with each other. For the most part, one cell signals another by secreting specific substances which bind to complementary receptors located on the surface membranes of target cells; the receptors then transduce these extracellular signals into intracellular ones. The study of membrane receptors has provided new insights into the fluid structure of biological membranes which in turn have increased our understanding of how membrane receptors work.