hormones are chemical signals that are released by cells in one part of the body that travel through the bloodstream to signal cells in another part of the body. insulin is a hormone that is released by the pancreas that induces the uptake of glucose molecules from the bloodstream into cells. in this way, insulin lowers the overall blood glucose levels of the body. osteoblasts and osteoclasts are two types of bone cells that play a role in regulating blood glucose levels (figure 1). binding of insulin to the insulin receptor on osteoblasts activates a signaling pathway that results in osteoblasts releasing a molecule, opgopg, that binds to neighboring osteoclasts. in response, the osteoclasts release protons (h h ) and create an area of lower phph outside the cell. this low phph activates osteocalcin, a protein secreted in an inactive form by osteoblasts. the espesp gene encodes a protein that alters the structure of the insulin receptor on osteoblasts and interferes with the binding of insulin to the receptor. a researcher created a group of osteoblasts with an espesp mutation that prevented the production of a functional espesp product (mutant). the researcher then exposed the mutant strain and a normal strain that expresses espesp to glucose and compared the levels of insulin in the blood near the osteoblasts (figure 2). question which of the following best describes the effect of insulin binding to the receptor on the osteoblast cells? responses insulin binding ultimately increases pancreatic secretion of additional insulin. insulin binding ultimately increases pancreatic secretion of additional insulin. insulin binding blocks the release of osteocalcin from the osteoblasts. insulin binding blocks the release of osteocalcin from the osteoblasts. insulin binding inhibits the expression of espesp. insulin binding inhibits the expression of e s p . insulin binding increases the phph of the extracellular matrix.