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Multiple Choice
How does a steroid hormone exert its effect upon a cell?
A
By passing through the cell membrane and binding to intracellular receptors
B
By binding to receptors on the cell surface and activating second messenger systems
C
By directly altering the cell's DNA from outside the cell
D
By being transported into the cell via endocytosis
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that steroid hormones are lipid-soluble, which allows them to pass through the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane without the need for a transport protein.
Recognize that once inside the cell, steroid hormones bind to specific intracellular receptors located in the cytoplasm or nucleus.
Note that the hormone-receptor complex then translocates to the cell nucleus if it hasn't already bound there.
Acknowledge that within the nucleus, the hormone-receptor complex binds to specific DNA sequences, acting as a transcription factor to regulate gene expression.
Realize that this regulation of gene expression leads to the production of specific proteins, which ultimately exert the hormone's effects on the cell.