Definition for Paracrine Signalling
From Biology Forums Dictionary
In paracrine signalling, a specific cell secretes a signalling molecule that does not affect the cell secreting the signal, but it does influence the behaviour of target cells in close proximity. Paracrine signalling is typically of short duration. Usually, the signal is broken down too quickly to be carried to other parts of the body and affect distant cells. A specialized form of paracrine signalling called synaptic signalling occurs in the nervous system of animals. Neurotransmitters—molecules made in nerve cells that transmit a signal to an adjacent cell—are released at the end of the nerve cell and traverse a narrow space called the synapse. The neurotransmitter then binds to a receptor in a target cell.
