Hormones such as calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, and the pituitary hormones are protein-based and water-soluble. How does a hormone that cannot penetrate the lipid membrane effect change in the cell?

Hormones that cannot penetrate the lipid membrane are known as Water-soluble or protein-based.

They effect change in the cell by binding to a receptor protein on the plasma membrane of the cell.

Following an interaction with the hormones, a cascade of secondary effects within the cytoplasm of the cell is triggered, often involving the addition or removal of phosphate groups to cytoplasmic proteins, changes in ion channel permeability, or an increase in the concentrations of intracellular molecules that may act as secondary messengers, such as cyclic AMP.

Answer: Substances that are protein based cannot cross the lipid cell membrane, but can exert their effect by binding to the proteins based receptors present on the lipid bilayer.

Explanation:

Hormones such as calcitonin, Parathyroid hormone and pituatry horomones are proteins and water soluble. They cannot cross lipid bilayer but can bind to ligand binding protein receptors.

These receptors are protein macromolecules that are specific in nature for specific hormones.

After binding to the receptors, these hormone-recpetor complexes activate second messengers and regulate the downstream effects.