Video Transcript
State the type of hormone, steroid
or nonsteroid, being described. These hormones are derived from
amino acids, and they generally bind to receptors on the surface of a target cell
membrane.
We have hormones throughout our
bodies, constantly sending messages and helping our cells to communicate. Hormones are chemical messengers
that are produced by the cells of the different glands within the human endocrine
system. Hormones are secreted into the
bloodstream when the endocrine glands are triggered by specific physiological
conditions. The blood transports these hormones
throughout the entire body, and sooner or later they reach specific cells called
target cells. Once they reach target cells,
hormones can bind to receptors either on or in the target cell to cause a specific
effect. The mechanism by which they cause
an effect on their target cell depends on the type of hormone.
There are two main types of
hormones: steroid hormones and nonsteroid hormones. Let’s contrast these types of
hormones to work out which is the one being described in the question. Steroid hormones are derived from
lipids and are lipid-soluble. This means that they can pass
through the phospholipid bilayer surrounding target cells to bind to intracellular
receptors. This will often cause genes to be
transcribed. In contrast, nonsteroid hormones
are derived from amino acids and are water-soluble. Therefore, they cannot pass through
the phospholipid bilayer and instead bind to extracellular receptors on the cell
surface membrane of target cells. They often cause cascades of
biochemical reactions within target cells to trigger an effect.
Let’s take a look back at the
information in our question to work out which type of hormone it is describing. The type of hormones being
described are derived from amino acids and bind to receptors on the surface of a
target cell membrane. With this information, we can work
out the answer. It’s describing nonsteroid
hormones.
