Skip to main content

Intracellular Receptor Kinetics

Meaning

The quantitative study of the rates of association, dissociation, and translocation of a lipophilic signaling molecule, such as a steroid or thyroid hormone, with its specific receptor located within the cytoplasm or nucleus of a target cell. Kinetics describes the time-dependent changes in receptor binding affinity and the speed at which the activated hormone-receptor complex moves to the nucleus to modulate gene transcription. This dynamic process determines the magnitude and duration of the hormonal response.