17 Endocrine System Flashcards
What are the similarities between the nervous and endocrine systems?
Both are control systems that, in response to stimuli, release ligands (hormones or neurotransmitters) that communicate with target cells/bind to receptors to initiate a response
What are the differences between the nervous and endocrine systems?
What are the four broad functions of the endocrine system?
Regulating development, growth and metabolism
Maintaining homeostasis of blood composition and volume.
Controlling digestive processes.
Controlling reporductive activities.
Name the endocrine glands that are entirely endocrine/organs.
pituitary gland
pineal gland
thyroid gland
parathyroid glands
adrenal glands
Name the endocrine glands that are part of other organs and describe how they are housed
Endocrine glands are house in small clusters within organs or tissues that have some other primary function.
hypothalamus
skin
thymus
heart
liver
stomach
pancreas
small intestine
adipose CT
kidneys
gonads
What are the ways that endocrine reflexes are initiated?
Hormonal stimulation- the binding of another hormone
Humoral stimulation-response to changing levels of nutrients (glucose) or ions in the blood
Nervous system stimulation-direct stimulation by the nervouse system (adrenal medulla by SNS)
What are the 3 categories of circulating hormones?
Steroids - lipid soluble molecules synthesized from cholesterol: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and corticosteroids & mineralcorticoids (of adrenal cortex)
Biogenic amines - aka monoamines - water soluble, modified amino acids: catecholamines (adrenal medulla,) thyroid hormone, melatonin
Proteins - water soluble, composed of small chains of amino acids: insulin, glucagon, ADH, growth hormone, EPO
What are the stimulation methods for local hormones?
Local hormones = large group of signaling molecules
Autocrine stimulation - signaling molecule or ligand binds to the same cell that produced it
Paracrine stimulation - signaling molecule or ligand binds to a neighboring cell
What is the primary type of local or signaling hormone?
Eicosanoids - formed from a 20 carbon fatty acid (arachidonic acid) cleaved from a phospholipid in the cell’s membrane
-includes prostaglandins (most diverse,) thromboxanes and leukotrienes
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What are the functions and benefits of carrier proteins?
-carry lipid soluble hormones in the blood (can be selective {thryoxine binding globulin} or nonselective {albumin})
-prolongs the life of hormones, including a few water soluble hormones (IGF)
-prevent excretion in urine of small hormones
Describe how lipid soluble hormones reach their target cell receptors and the type of cellular change they initiate.
1) unbound hormones diffuses across the plasma membrane and binds with an intracellular receptor to form a hormone-receptor complex
2) HRC binds with a specfic DNA sequence called a hormone-response element (HRE)
3) mRNA is synthesized
4) mRNA exits the nucleus and is translated by a ribosome in the cytosol and a new protein is synthesized…. results in alteration in cell structure or a shift in the target cells” metabolic activities if the synthesized protein is an enzyme
Describe how water soluble hormones induce cellular change in their target cells.
1) hormone (first messenger) binds to receptor and induces shape change to activate the receptor
2) G protein binds to the activated receptor
3) GDP is bumped off of the G protein and GTP binds to the G protein activating it
4) activated G protein either binds adenylate cyclase or phosphlipase C
–causes activation of plasma membrane enzyme adenylate cyclase > adenylate cyclase converts ATP to cAMP > cAMP serves as the second messenger, activating protein kinase A, a phsophorylating enzyme
–causes activation of the plasma membrane enzyme phospholipase C > phospholipase C splits PIP2 into two second messengers: DAG and IP3 > DAG activates protein kinase C (a phosphorilating enzyme) or IP3 increases Ca2+ in cytosol by stimulating Ca2+ release from the ER > Ca2+ acts as a third messenger to activate protein kinase enzymes and also alters activity of ion channels in the membrane p663
What is the ultimate action of water soluble hormones?
-activation or inhibition of enzymatic pathways
-stimulations of growth through cellular division
-release of cellular secretions
-changes in membrane ion permeability
-muscle contraction or relaxation
What are the 3 types of hormone interactions?
Synergistic - one hormone reinforces the activity of another (estrogen and progesterone)
Permissive - the activity of one hormone requires a second hormone (oxytocin and prolactin)
Antagonistic - one hormone opposes the other (insulin and glucagon)
What’s important about the posterior pituitary?
-it is the neural part of the pituitary
-connected to the hypothalamus by neurons called the hypothalamo-hypophyseal tract
-stores and releases Oxytocin and ADH from the hypothalamus