Questions: Target cells can become more sensitive to a hormone by increasing the number of receptors via which process?
Lateral-regulation
Down-regulation
Up-regulation
Transcript text: Target cells can become more sensitive to a hormone by increasing the number of receptors via which process?
Lateral-regulation
Down-regulation
Up-regulation
Solution
The answer is the third one: Up-regulation.
Explanation for each option:
Lateral-regulation: This term is not typically used in the context of hormone receptor regulation. It generally refers to processes that involve the regulation of neighboring cells or pathways, but not specifically to the increase in the number of receptors on target cells.
Down-regulation: This is the process by which a cell decreases the number of receptors to a particular hormone, making the cell less sensitive to that hormone. This is the opposite of what the question is asking.
Up-regulation: This is the correct answer. Up-regulation is the process by which a cell increases the number of receptors for a hormone, thereby becoming more sensitive to that hormone. This allows the cell to respond more effectively to lower concentrations of the hormone.
In summary, target cells become more sensitive to a hormone by increasing the number of receptors through the process of up-regulation.