Skip to main content

Genomic Action

Meaning

The primary mechanism by which a hormone, drug, or other signaling molecule exerts its profound biological effect by directly or indirectly altering the expression of genes within a target cell’s nucleus. This process fundamentally involves the molecule binding to an intracellular receptor, with the resulting complex then translocating to the nucleus to act as a transcription factor. Genomic action is responsible for the slower, more sustained, and long-term physiological changes induced by the class of steroid and thyroid hormones.