Final answer:
Autocrine signaling is the process where cells release ligands that bind to their own receptors, initiating an intracellular response. It can influence the cell's own behavior and occasionally affect neighboring cells of the same type.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of intercellular signaling that involves production of a signal molecule, which interacts only with receptors on the same cell is known as autocrine signaling. In this process, cells produce and secrete ligands that can bind to receptors on their own surface, initiating a signaling pathway within the same cell. This is different from paracrine signaling, which acts on nearby cells, and endocrine signaling, which involves signals traveling through the bloodstream to distant cells.
Autocrine signaling can be involved in various processes, such as early developmental events, pain sensation, inflammation responses, and programmed cell death in response to viral infection. In some cases, neighboring cells of the same type can also be affected by autocrine signals, which can contribute to the coordinated development of tissues.