Answer: Cells have receptors because Receptors let the cell know when to let things in and out of the cell.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cell receptors also called transmembrane receptors are proteins located on the surface of a cell (extracellularly) or inside the cell which receive signals that alters the functions of the cell. The functions of the cells which can be altered includes the alteration in gene transcription and the cell morphology.
Cell receptors are generally categorizes into the following groups:
--> Internal receptors
--> cell surface receptors
--> ion channel receptors
--> G protein coupled receptors
--> enzyme linked receptors
Interaction of cell membrane receptors with specific ligands that bonds to the receptors causes conformational changes in the receptor protein. This in turn, enzymatically activates the intracellular part of the protein or induces interactions between the receptor and the proteins in the cytoplasm that act as second messengers, thereby relaying the signal from the extracellular part of the receptor to the interior of the cell. This enables the cell to know when to let things in or out of it through the information conveyed.