OCAT #2 5

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Across
  1. 3. The cellular "sentinel" named after a toll bridge, but it only accepts pathogen IDs as payment
  2. 5. The synthetic "love child" of English and German synonyms born in the 1930s
  3. 6. The "third wheel" in a complex that helps the courier bind to the defense genes
  4. 8. The "James Black target" that triggers acid pumps through an H2-shaped lock
  5. 12. The "molecular chef" that turns ATP into a cAMP signal whenever G-proteins give the order
  6. 13. The "spicy receptor" on nerve endings that doubles as a heat sensor for the brain
  7. 15. The "fight or flight" signals that fail to produce sweat in a CF patient's glands
  8. 16. The "acid-spitting" cells of the stomach that live in pits and look like they have tiny tunnels
  9. 18. The "picky gatekeeper" that demands two chemical keys and a voltage spike before letting anyone in
  10. 20. The hormone that sounds like it’s just for milk but actually has 300 different side hustles
  11. 22. The brain's "emotional theater" where a pain signal gets turned into a bad mood
  12. 23. The DNA "welcome mat" where the transcription machinery parks before building a protein
  13. 24. The "comma-shaped" pathogen that uses a toxin to turn your gut into a one-way water slide
Down
  1. 1. The "golden transformation" that turns a ruptured follicle into a steroid factory
  2. 2. The "tissue scissors" that cut a path for lens cells to move to the back of the eye
  3. 4. The "Ketone-heavy" hormone whose name literally means it's "in favor of" gestation
  4. 7. The chemical "stimulant" used in patch-clamp trials to force a cell to show its true currents
  5. 8. The "stubborn guest" hormone that refuses to leave the receptor, keeping the steroid factory open for months
  6. 9. The "greasy ancestor" of all steroids that needs a protein escort to enter the mitochondria
  7. 10. The "motherly" signaling family that delivers the message from the surface directly to the DNA vault
  8. 11. The "sonic blender" technique used to emulsify a cloudy lens before sucking it out
  9. 14. The "nerve-calming" medicine researchers use in mice to see if they'll stand on their sore feet
  10. 17. The "Red Hot" ingredient that tricks your sensors into thinking there's a fire in your mouth
  11. 19. MARTIN The man with the "window into the gut" who lived for years with a permanent hole in his side
  12. 21. The molecular "town crier" who broadcasts the news of infection across the body