Question

At puberty, an adolescent female body changes in both structure and function of several organ systems, primarily under the influence of changing concentrations of estrogens and other steroid hormones. How can one hormone, such as estrogen, mediate so many effects?
A) Estrogen does not affect cells that lack estrogen receptors in the cell membrane.
B) Estrogen binds to specific receptors inside many kinds of cells, each of which has different responses to its binding.
C) Estrogen is produced in high concentrations by a large number of different cell types.
D) Estrogen binds to common receptors inside several cell types, and each cell responds in the same way to its binding.

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Estrogen binds to specific receptors inside many kinds of cells, each of which have different responses to its binding.

Explanation:

Estrogen is a lipid-soluble steroid hormone and binds to its receptors present inside the target cells. Estrogen binds to specific receptors in different types of cells. Binding of estrogen to a specific receptor in a cell would initiate the specific cellular response. Likewise, binding of estrogen to its receptors in some other cell type would generate a different cellular response. For example, binding of estrogen to transcription factors in the cells of mammary glands may stimulate cell division and differentiation to trigger the development of mammary glands at puberty in females.