Across
- 2. A signaling path where messengers like endocannabinoids or gases travel "backward" from the receiver to the sender.
- 3. Sutherland’s second messenger that turns into an intestinal flood when the G-protein alpha subunit is stuck in the "on" position.
- 7. The stable library where the code for every receptor and toxin-target is archived.
- 9. Specialized free nerve endings stationed at the borders to serve as the sentinels of the "ouch".
- 10. The uninvited stomach guest that Barry famously drank to prove it was the culprit behind burning craters.
- 11. The molecular editing that removes genomic interruptions to create messengers like the pain-carrying CGRP.
- 12. The final tally of drug molecules that survive the hepatic gateway to reach the systemic circulation.
- 15. The genomic landing pad where a phosphorylated STAT dimer binds to recruit the army of viral defense genes.
- 19. A calming steroid derived from LDL cholesterol that acts as a neuroprotector for both sexes.
- 20. The biological power-up that activates workhorses like MLCK to start a muscle squeeze.
Down
- 1. A form of "neighborhood gossip" where a mediator like Histamine targets nearby cells rather than distant ones.
- 4. The thick-filament climber that refuses to pull on its Actin partner until it receives a phosphate tag.
- 5. The process of drafting a working script from the master blueprint to build a cellular defense.
- 6. A trimeric traffic light that breaks when a comma-shaped bacteria steals its "off" switch.
- 8. The measurement of a lead actor's maximal performance, often reduced by non-surmountable antagonists.
- 13. A sensory distortion where the brain interprets the gentlest brush of silk as a scream of pain.
- 14. The language shift where a sequence of codons becomes a functional protein or a contractile workhorse.
- 16. A sideways shift on a dose-response curve indicating how much of a molecule is needed for an effect.
- 17. The mitochondria-rich cell that receives a paracrine signal to begin the stomach's acid rain.
- 18. The essential shutdown step that, if broken, leads to chronic signaling storms or diseases like hypertension.
