Expert: John Locke - 9/7/2009

Question
Hi,
I've done 14 short answer questions on the Endocrine system but this one question stumps me I think it is because it is so general.  The question is Explain the importance of intercellular communication and describe the mechansims involved.  I mean intercellular communication is important for the different systems of the body to function successfully.  THe different mechanisms involved in intercellular communication would be like neurons and hormones? So through the nervous system and endocrine system. They both take part in intercellular communication right?  I'm not sure exactly how to answer this question or how to expand on it.  I would appreciate any help with this one:)

Thans,
sara

Answer
Thanks for using AllExperts. Your question is extremely general, and I don't want to produce an overly-long answer, but here are some important aspects of intercellular communication that you want to consider:

--Intercellular communication is essential for modulating the response to a stimulus. The body uses negative feedback loops to control the expression of various hormones, for instance; a produce made from a sequence of reactions interrupts the sequence earlier in the chain once enough of it has been made. This is a fundamental regulatory mechanism of the body--one which you find lots of information on--and requires intercellular communication.

--Intercellular communication is necessary for signal transduction. The nervous system operates by an interchanging sequence of chemical signals (neurotransmitter) and electrical signals (action potential), one after another. The ability of one neuron to produce a response in the next requires intercellular chemical signalling.

--Intercellular communication is the basis of much of the higher cortical activity in the brain. The cerebrum operates essentially as a massive network of interconnected neurons; the ability to process information, form memories, and respond to the environment requires some mechanism for communication between those cells.

--Intercellular communication is essential for the function of the immune system. Immune cells recognize others cells by the proteins that they display on their surface, which is a form of communication. Those arrangements may induce the immune cell to kill the other cell or to ignore it.

--Intercellular communication is necessary for connecting the activity of cells when they all need to work together. The cells in heart muscle are all electrically contiguous, so a single electrical depolarization can spread through all of them and allow them to contract.

If you have additional questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Good luck!