Cell Signaling Vocabulary

noun a type of small protein that is important in cell signaling, especially in the immune system

• The researchers studied the role of cytokines in the immune response.
• Cytokines are like messengers that tell your immune system what to do.
• Some people call cytokines the 'traffic directors' of the immune system.
• In the battle against infection, cytokines are the generals leading the troops.

noun a chemical substance that attracts individual cells and causes them to aggregate, as in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum

• The acrasin is a signaling molecule that triggers the aggregation of individual cells into a multicellular structure in certain types of slime molds.
• Did you know that acrasin is like a chemical signal that tells cells to come together?
• Yo, check out this cool acrasin thing - it's like a cell party starter!
• The acrasin acts like a conductor, orchestrating the movement of individual cells to come together and form a unified structure.

noun a type of signaling molecule produced by Dictyostelium discoideum cells during development

• Acrasins are signaling molecules that Dictyostelium cells use to communicate during development.
• Do you know what acrasins are? They're like little messengers that tell cells what to do.
• I heard acrasins are like the bossy texts that cells send each other.
• Acrasins are like the secret agents of the cell world, passing on important messages for survival.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality (e.g., adenosine, monophosphate)

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun (e.g., 3',5'-monophosphate)

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence (e.g., '3',5'-monophosphate')

• Adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate is a nucleotide involved in various cellular processes.
• I heard that adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate plays a key role in cell signaling.
• Yo, did you know that adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate is like the boss of cell communication?
• Just like how a conductor leads an orchestra, adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate directs cellular activities.