Steroid hormones exert their action by ________. A. entering the nucleus of a cell and initiating or altering the expression of a gene B. binding cell receptors and initiating cAMP activity C. entering the cell and activating mitochondrial DNA D. activating the hypothalamic release of regulating hormones

Steroid hormones are derived from cholesterol and regulate multiple biological processes. All steroid hormones exert their action by crossing the plasma membrane and by binding with their respective intracellular receptors. They stimulate cell growth in a very different way, their lipophilic nature gives them the ability to cross lipid barriers, so, without the need for extracellular signals, these hormones can easily enter the cell, cross the cytoplasm and reach the nucleus. There they bind to specific receptors that are associated with DNA promoter regions, modifying their structure and promoting the expression of the genes under their control.