Many scientists use chemical inhibitors to interfere with normal signaling pathways within eukaryotic cells. If such inhibitors are large, nonpolar molecules, what is the likely method of action of these chemical inhibitors?
A)These chemical inhibitors likely enter eukaryotic cells and interfere with components of the signal transduction pathway.
B)These chemical inhibitors likely enter the nucleus and prevent the transcription of the pathway of interest's target genes.
C)These chemical inhibitors likely bind to receptors and interfere with receptor activation or signal-receptor binding.
D)These chemical inhibitors likely interfere with the termination of signaling, so eukaryotic cells can't process new signals.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Large, nonpolar molecules are likely to be membrane impermeable and unable to enter eukaryotic cells to directly interact with components of the signal transduction pathway or affect transcription within the nucleus. They are, however, able to interact with the hydrophobic regions of cell surface receptors and interfere with receptor activation or signal-receptor binding, thus inhibiting the normal signaling pathway.

Many Scientists Use Chemical Inhibitors to Interfere with Normal Signaling