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Secondary Messenger

Meaning

A Secondary Messenger is a small, intracellular signaling molecule that is rapidly generated or released within a cell in response to the binding of an extracellular signaling molecule, such as a hormone, to its specific cell-surface receptor. These molecules, which include cyclic AMP (cAMP), calcium ions, and inositol triphosphate (IP3), serve to relay and amplify the initial hormonal signal from the cell membrane to the target molecules within the cytoplasm or nucleus. They are indispensable for transducing the effects of peptide and catecholamine hormones.