second messenger

American  

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of various intracellular chemical substances, as cyclic AMP, that transmit and amplify the messages delivered by a first messenger to specific receptors on the cell surface.

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second messenger Cultural  

1. A molecule that relays messages in a cell from a receptor on a cell membrane to the final destination where an action within the cell is to take place. (See signal transduction pathway.)

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Etymology

Origin of second messenger

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The second messenger does not recognize the signal from the receptor.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The hormone that initiates the signaling pathway is called a first messenger, which activates a second messenger in the cytoplasm, as illustrated in Figure 28.6.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The second messenger can then go on to cause changes in the neuron, such as opening or closing ion channels, metabolic changes, and changes in gene transcription.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

"I like to call it a second messenger," said Sutherland of AMP.

From Time Magazine Archive

They were ready to march to the house, when a second messenger from the prince detained them.

From The Pharaoh and the Priest An Historical Novel of Ancient Egypt by Curtin, Jeremiah