• Hormone action at the cellular level begins with binding of the hormone to highly specific protein receptor molecules. Detailed studies of this complex interaction have placed mechanistic aspects of hormone action on a firm biochemical basis and permitted development of a number of receptor-based diagnostic and prognostic tests that are now in routine clinical use. This overview summarizes present understanding of this rapidly developing area and relates it to specific disease processes.
(Arch Intern Med 1988;148:961-967)