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Endocrine System

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The endocrine and nervous system are two control systems of the human body that are interconnected with each other. The nervous system can be described as fast-acting with short-term effects, while the endocrine system is slower-acting with longer lasting effects. The hypothalamic-pituitary axis is one example of a connection between the two systems where neurons can signal the release of hormones from specific endocrine glands.
For the nervous system, cellular function can be regulated instantly using rapid action potentials for communication. In contrast, the endocrine system takes hours or even days to regulate physiology. The endocrine system uses hormone, which is defined as a molecule secreted directly into the bloodstream by an endocrine gland, to signal/act on distant target cells that have the right hormone receptor for binding. A hormone receptor is a polypeptide with a specific ligand (hormone) binding site. Binding of the hormone to the …show more content…

The first class is peptide or amino acid derived, which are usually hydrophilic molecules that bind to receptors on the surface of cells. The second class is steroid hormones, which are hydrophobic and bind to intracellular receptors in the cytoplasm after diffusing through the plasma membrane. When a peptide hormone binds to a cell-surface receptor, it acts as a first messenger. The receptor-ligand complex triggers catalytic activity that activates a secondary messenger. This leads on further to signaling cascade and signal amplification. Ultimately, the function of proteins in the cytoplasm is changed. Thus, one activated receptor can change the activity of many different enzymes inside the cell. Because peptide hormones modify the activity of existing proteins (enzymes) in the cytoplasm of the cell, the effects are very rapid (minutes to hours) from the time of secretion. Modifications can include phosphorylation or dephosphorylation to change enzyme

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