adjective
- relating to or denoting the secretion of a substance (such as a hormone or growth factor) by a cell that acts on receptors of the same cell or nearby cells of the same type
Usage: biology/medicine; often used in contrast with paracrine and endocrine signaling
Examples
- Autocrine signaling allows cells to regulate their own growth and behavior.
- The tumor cells produced autocrine growth factors that promoted their proliferation.
- Autocrine loops are important in immune cell activation and differentiation.
- Some cytokines function in an autocrine manner, affecting the cells that produce them.
- Researchers studied autocrine mechanisms to understand how cancer cells sustain themselves.