Hormoneresponsive

Hormoneresponsive describes cells, tissues, or organisms that alter their behavior in response to hormonal signals. Such responses can include rapid changes in cellular signaling, alterations in gene expression, and long-term physiological adaptations. The underlying mechanism typically involves hormone binding to a receptor, which may be a cell-surface receptor triggering second messenger pathways, or a nuclear receptor that directly modulates transcription. Steroid hormones and thyroid hormones generally act through intracellular receptors, whereas peptide and amine hormones often signal via membrane receptors.

Examples include hormone-responsive cancers, where tumors express specific hormone receptors and rely on hormonal signaling for growth. Estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer and androgen receptor–dependent prostate cancer are clinical examples. Hormone responsiveness also governs normal physiology, such as regulation of the menstrual cycle, puberty, and metabolic homeostasis.

Assessment commonly uses receptor status assays, such as immunohistochemistry for estrogen, progesterone, or androgen receptors, to guide therapy. Treatments that exploit hormone responsiveness include endocrine therapies such as selective receptor modulators or antagonists, enzyme inhibitors that reduce hormone production, and strategies that block hormone signaling. Resistance can arise through receptor loss, mutation, pathway cross-talk, or changes in downstream signaling.

Outside medicine, hormone responsiveness is a general concept in biology, also applicable to plants, where growth and development respond to phytohormones like auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins.