Nervous system
A long, slender extension of the cell body that sends nerve impulses.
Axon
Engulfing and destroying foreign substances by forming a vacuole that fuses with a lysosome
Phagocytosis
Referring to a secreted molecule that acts on a neighboring cell.
Paracrine
Series of steps converting the received signal into its cellular response
Signal transduction pathway
The division of a single nucleus into two genetically identical daughter nuclei. Mitosis and cytokinesis make up the mitotic (M) phase of the cell cycle
Mitosis
The type of neurons that stimulate effectors in, for example, muscles, sweat glands, or cells in the stomach.
Motor neurons
A large amoeboid, phagocytic white blood cell that functions in innate immunity by destroying microbes and in acquired immunity as an antigen-presenting cell
Macrophages
Referring to a secreted molecule that acts on the cell that secreted it.
Autocrine
A nerve cell releases neurotransmitter molecules into a synapse, stimulating the target cell
Synaptic signaling
An abnormal mass of cells that forms within otherwise normal tissue.
Tumor
A junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter.
Synapse
A foreign molecule that elicits an acquired immune response
Antigen
A gland with the following dual functions: the nonendocrine portion functions in digestion, secreting enzymes and an alkaline solution into the small intestine via a duct; the ductless endocrine portion functions in homeostasis, secreting the hormones insulin and glucagon into the blood.
Pancreas
Specialized endocrine cells secrete hormones into body fluids, often blood; hormones reach virtually all body cells, but are bound only by some
Endocrine signaling
A cell that is not subject to normal cell-cycle control mechanisms and that will divide continuously, often killing the organism if unchecked
Cancer cells
The disease involving a mental deterioration, or dementia, characterized by confusion, memory loss, and a variety of other symptoms.
Alzheimer's disease
A type of lymphocyte that matures in the bone marrow and later produces antibodies
B cells
A hormone secreted by pancreatic beta cells that lowers blood glucose levels. It promotes the uptake of glucose by most body cells and the synthesis and storage of glycogen in the liver and also stimulates protein and fat synthesis.
Insulin
Molecule that specifically binds to another molecule, often a large one
Ligand
In an organism that reproduces sexually, a cell containing two homologous sets of chromosomes, one set inherited from each parent
Diploid cells
A motor disorder characterized by difficulty in initiating movements, slowness of movement, and rigidity.
Parkinson's disease
A type of lymphocyte that matures in the thymus and is responsible for the cell-mediated immune response
T cells
A hormone secreted by pancreatic alpha cells that raises blood glucose levels. it promotes glycogen break-down and release of glucose by the liver.
Glucagon
A protein that binds the energy-rich molecule GTP
G protein
Exchange of corresponding segments between two homologous chromosomes
Crossing over