1.4- Communication Flashcards
Multicellular organisms signal between cells using…
extracellular signalling molecules
Examples of extracellular signalling molecules
steroid hormones, peptide hormones, neurotransmitters
In animals, communication occurs through …… and …..
nerve transmission and hormonal secretion
Receptor molecules of target cells are proteins with a …
binding site for a specific signal molecule.
Binding changes the…….. of the receptor, which initiates a response within the cell.
conformation
Different cell types produce specific signals which can only be detected and responded to by cells with the
specific receptor.
Signalling molecules may have different effects on different target cell types due to differences in the…
intracellular signalling molecules and pathways that are involved.
In a multicellular organism, different cell types may show a …….. to the same signal.
tissue-specific response
Can hydrophobic signals diffuse directly through the phospholipid bilayers of membranes.
yes
hydrophobic signals bind to ……. receptors
intracellular
The receptors for hydrophobic signalling molecules are
transcription factors.
(hydrophobic) Transcription factors are
proteins that when bound to DNA can either stimulate or inhibit initiation of transcription.
They can enhance or block the binding of RNA polymerase to specific genes
Examples of hydrophobic signals
Thyroxine
Steroid hormones
Thyroxine (hydrophobic)
- produced by the thyroid
- regulates the rate of metabolism
Examples of steroid hormones (hydrophobic)
testosterone and oestrogen
(hydrophobic) Steroid hormones bind to specific receptors in the …….. or the ……. forming a hormone-receptor complex.
cytosol or nucleus
(hydrophobic) Steroid hormones bind to specific receptors in the cytosol or the nucleus forming a
hormone-receptor complex.
The hormone-receptor complex moves to the nucleus where it binds to specific sites on DNA.
(hydrophobic) The specific DNA sequences that the hormone-receptor complex binds to are called
hormone response elements (HREs).
Binding at hormone response elements influences the rate of…
transcription, with each steroid hormone affecting the gene expression of many different genes.
Hydrophilic signalling molecules bind to ……….. and do not enter the
bind to transmembrane receptors and do not enter the cytosol.
Examples of hydrophilic molecules
peptide hormones and neurotransmitters
Who don’t hydrophilic molecules enter the cytosol?
they are not capable of passing across the hydrophobic plasma membrane.
Process of hydrophilic molecules
- Reception - Signalling molecule binds to transmembrane receptor
- Transduction – signal is passed through the cell
- Response - will vary depending on the signal
Transmembrane receptors change conformation when the ligand binds to the extracellular face. Does the signal molecule enter the cell?
the signal molecule does not enter the cell.
The signal is then transduced across the plasma membrane.
Transmembrane receptors act as
signal transducers
Transmembrane receptors act as signal transducers by
converting the extracellular ligand-binding event into intracellular signals, which alters the behaviour of the cell.