TOPIC 01: Mechanisms of Hormonal Regulation

Although a hormone is distributed throughout the body, only target cells with specific receptors for that hormone are affected. Target cell response depends on blood levels of the hormone, the concentration of target cell receptors, and the affinity of the receptor for the hormone. Hormone receptors of the target cell have two main functions: (a) to recognize and bind with high affinity to their particular hormones and (b) to initiate a signal to appropriate intracellular effectors.