7.2 Proteins in the cell and on its surface receive signals from other cells. â¢ There are usually several amplifying steps betweenthe binding of a signal molecule to a cell surfacereceptor and the response of the cell.ecause these proteins may constituteless than 0.01% of the total mass of protein in a cell, puri-fying them is analogous to searching for a particular grainof sand in a sand dune! However, two recent techniqueshave enabled cell biologists to make rapid progress in thisarea. 7.1 Cells signal one another with chemicals.
A macromolecule is a very large molecule commonly created by polymerization of smaller subunits (monomers). They are typically composed of thousands or more atoms.
According to the standard IUPAC definition, the term macromolecule as used in polymer science refers only to a single molecule. For example,a single polymeric molecule is appropriately described as a macromolecule or polymer molecule rather than a polymer, which suggests a substance composed of macromolecules.Because of their size, macromolecules are not conveniently described in terms of stoichiometry alone.he term macromolecule (macro- + molecule) was coined by Nobel laureate Hermann Staudinger in the 1920s, although his first relevant publication on this field only mentions high molecular compounds (in excess of 1,000 atoms).