Final answer:
Growth hormone (GH) from the anterior pituitary promotes cell growth and proliferation by enhancing protein synthesis through insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). These factors stimulate amino acid uptake for protein creation and prevent apoptosis, particularly benefiting muscle and cartilage cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
Growth hormone (GH), produced by the anterior pituitary, plays a crucial role in stimulating cell growth and proliferation. GH operates by promoting the liver and other tissues to produce a group of proteins known as insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). These IGFs function by enhancing cellular proliferation, reducing apoptosis (programmed cell death), and increasing the uptake of amino acids from the blood, which are essential for protein synthesis. Particularly, skeletal muscle and cartilage cells are especially responsive to IGFs, leading to the growth and development of these tissues.
Growth hormones and IGFs also stimulate functions such as cell migration, adhesion, and angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels), playing a substantial role in overall body growth and tissue repair. Cell signaling pathways, involving growth factors that usually bind to cell-surface receptors linked to tyrosine kinases, regulate these processes.