a form of signaling in which the target cell is close to the signal-releasing cell

The action of a cytokine on a cell distinct from that which produced it.

Denoting a type of hormone function in which hormone synthesized in and released from endocrine cells binds to its receptors in nearby cells and affects their functions. Denoting the secretion of a hormone by an organ other than an endocrine gland.

local hormone, such as histamine, that acts on neighboring cells

Locally acting. For example, many growth factors act in a very local manner on the cell adjacent or closely juxtaposed to the site of their production. Paracrine actions may be directional, for example, with the signal produced in the stroma and acting on the epithelium, or they may act within a single tissue layer.

regulation is where a cell secretes an agent that has a regulatory effect on another cell very close by

In animals, a cell which produces hormones, growth factors or other signalling substances for which the target cells, expressing the corresponding receptors, are located in its vicinity, or in a group adjacent to it. (See also autocrine and endocrine)

Chemical substances not released into blood but which act locally on cells. Compare autocrine.