Intracellular Messengers

This important new reference work offers an outstanding collection of articles devoted to the discussion of "e;intracellular messengers"e;. Extracellular stimuli ("e;first messengers"e;) bind to receptors on the plasma membrane of cells to trigger changes in the concentration of intracellular messengers ("e;second messengers"e;) which leads, in turn, to changes in cellular activity. However, the intracellular activities of so called "e;third messengers"e; may also be involved complicating the concept of a rigid sequence of events between receptor and response. The preference for the term "e;intracellular messengers"e;, and, hence, the title of this volume, recognizes that a complex web of interactions between intercellular messengers determines the concentrations and ultimate effects of each.