Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Cell-to-Cell Communication and Water 
Name: Stephanie
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
I am working on a biology project dealing with Cell to Cell interactions in Humans.

Through all of my reading and research, I can not pull one aspect of the report together. I know that cell communication deals with the way cells respond to signals coming form outside the cells. What I want to know is if the amount of water in the cell has a vital relationship to the efficiency and ability of cell communication, or does it primarily revolve around the chemical communication (i.e. hormones)?

If you could help I would greatly appreciate it, Thanks!


Replies:
The role of water is primarily that of being the media that the chemicals are dissolved in and transported within. The amount of water has not been determined to have anything to do directly with cell to cell communication. Cells have to rely on a fairly constant amount of water to maintain the osmotic pressure and the amount of dissolved solutes within the cytosol.

Diffusion, endocytosis, phagocytosis and active transport are the main agents of molecular movement.

I hope this is what you are asking.

Steve Sample


Click here to return to the Biology Archives

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory