In biology, juxtacrine signaling is a type of intercellular communication that is transmitted via oligosaccharide, lipid, or protein components of a cell membrane, and may affect either the emitting cell or the immediately-adjacent cells.
It occurs between adjacent cells that possess broad patches of closely-opposed plasma membrane linked by transmembrane channels known as connexons. The gap between the cells can usually be between only 2 and 4 nm.
Unlike other types of cell signaling (such as paracrine and endocrine), juxtacrine signaling requires physical contact between the two cells involved.
Juxtacrine signaling has been observed for some growth factors, cytokine and chemokine cellular signals.
See also
External links
- Juxtacrine Signaling in Developmental Biology by Scott F. Gilbert
- Juxtacrine at eMedicine Dictionary
- "Autocrine versus juxtacrine signaling modes" - illustration at sysbio.org
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