basics of cell signalling Flashcards
What is signal transduction?
Cell surface receptors convert extracellular signals into intracellular signals
leads to metabolic changes allowing the cell to adapt to changes
4 types of cell signalling?
Paracrine- to target cells nearby
Autocrine- signal released from cell to its own receptors
Endocrine- go to target cells that are further away
Direct contact
Synaptic
Example of signal transduction?
Epinephrine (adrenaline) binding to receptor
causes adenylyl cyclase to convert ATP to cAMP
glycogen converted to glucose
What signals can cells receive beyond plasma membrane?
Hormones Neurotransmitters Antigens Light Touch Pheromone (chemical)
Where can signals originate from?
Hormones- act at a distance
Growth factors- action is long lasting
Neurotransmitter (secreted close to target cells)
Pheromones (act on cells in different organism)
What is a pheromone?
A chemical factor secreted that triggers a social response in the members of the same species
What changes can these signals cause in a cell?
Differentiation
Antibody production
Growth in size/strength
Asexual/sexual cell division (mitosis/meiosis)
What are the 6 steps involved in cell-cell communication?
- Synthesis of signalling molecule
- Signalling molecule released from signalling cell by diffusion/exocytosis/cell-cell contact
- Signalling molecule transported to target cell
- Signal is detected by receptors on target cell (transduction)
- Receptor-signal complex triggers change in cell’s metabolism/function/development
- Signal is removed
What are effector proteins?
Cause response in cell by intracellular signalling molecules
Examples of effector proteins
- Metabolic enzyme- alters cell metabolism
- Transcription regulatory protein- alters gene expression
- Cytoskeleton protein- alters cell shape/movement
Direct contact
Signalling across gap junctions
Signalling cell with membrane bound signal molecule binds to target cell via gap junctions
Paracrine signalling
Signals released into extracellular space and acts locally on neighboring cells
Autocrine signalling
Signalling cell releases signal molecule that acts on the signalling cell itself
Endocrine signalling
endocrine cells secrete hormones into bloodstream
Synaptic signalling
Neurons transmit electrical signals along their axons
Release neurotransmitters at a synapse
synapse is far from neuron cell body
What happens once the signalling molecule has binded to receptor?
- A single response (glucagon)
- Variety of responses (adrenaline/epinephrine)
- Secondary messenger systems
What do protein kinases do?
Phosphorylate proteins by using a phosphate from ADP
What do protein phosphatases do?
Dephosphorylates proteins
What can phosphorylation of proteins do?
- Turns protein on/off
2. Activates/deactivates proteins in signalling transduction pathways
What are the 3 types of cell surface receptors?
- Ion-channel coupled receptors
- G-protein coupled receptors
- Enzyme coupled receptors
Ion-channel coupled receptors
Synaptic signalling betwen neurones mediated by neurotransmitters that open/close ion channels changing ion permeability of PM and excitability of post-synaptic target cell
G-protein coupled receptors
Trimeric GTP binding protein (G protein) mediates interaction between activated receptor and target cell
Enzyme-coupled receptors
Ligand binding site on outer surface of PM
enzyme binding site= inside- can act as an enzyme or associate directly with an enzyme
e.g target cell is activated when protein kinases phosphorylate proteins inside target cell
What to intracellular signalling proteins do inside target cell?
Relay signal (passing signal along) To activate effector protein= response
How is a signal processed inside cell? (passed along)
- IC signal protein relays signal to next signalling component
- Protein can act as a scaffold protein- bring 2/more signalling proteins together-bind-interact more quickly and efficiently
- Transduce signal from 1 form to another form
- Large amounts of small intracellular mediators are made= multiple amplifications= signalling cascade
Generally how does a GPCR/Enzyme coupled receptor cause response in target cell?
- Extracellular signal binds to GPCR/ECR (1st messenger)
- GPCR/ECR is activated
- Small intracellular mediators/secondary messengers e.g cAMP/Ca2+ are activated
- Alters conformation and behaviour of effector proteins
- Changes behaviour of cell
Structure of GPCR
7 transmembrane protein
G protein/trimeric GTP binding protein structure
Heterotrimeric
3 subunits- alpha, beta, gamma
G protein inactive state= GDP bound to alpha subunit
G protein active state= GTP bound to alpha subunit
Pathway of GPCR
- Extracellular signal binds to GPCR
- Conformational change of GPCR- alpha subunit is induced by GEF to release GDP bound to it
- GTP binds to alpha subunit
- Alpha subunit and beta-gamma subunit interact with its targets