Final answer:
Intracellular signaling does not begin with inside ligands interacting with cell surface receptors, but with extracellular ligands binding to these receptors or hydrophobic ligands binding to internal receptors. The statement in the question is false.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement intracellular signaling begins with the interaction of the INSIDE ligands with the cell surface receptors is false. Intracellular signaling actually begins with the interaction of extracellular ligands with the cell surface receptors, or with internal ligands directly binding to internal receptors within the cell.
Cell surface receptors are designed to bind hydrophilic ligands that cannot cross the plasma membrane due to their polarity. Upon binding, they initiate a signaling cascade, also known as signal transduction, which transmits the signal inside the cell to produce a functional protein indirectly. Internal receptors, on the other hand, bind hydrophobic ligands that can cross the plasma membrane. After binding, these internal receptor-ligand complexes migrate to the nucleus and can interact directly with DNA, influencing gene expression and initiating the direct synthesis of proteins. Therefore, intracellular signaling can begin with extracellular ligands interacting with cell surface receptors or with hydrophobic ligands that pass through the membrane and interact with internal receptors.