ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Most hormones circulate in blood, coming into contact with essentially all cells. However, a given hormone usually affects only a limited number of cells, which are called target cells. A target cell responds to a hormone because it bears receptors for the hormone.

Detailed explanation-2: -Cells that have receptors for a particular hormone are called target cells.

Detailed explanation-3: -All classes of hormones elicit the majority of their physiological effects via specific receptors which are located in three separate compartments of target cells: cell membranes (peptide and glycopeptide hormones), cytoplasm (steroid hormones) and nucleus (thyroid and steroid hormones).

Detailed explanation-4: -Intracellular Hormone Receptors The steroid hormones pass through the plasma membrane of a target cell and adhere to intracellular receptors residing in the cytoplasm or in the nucleus.