Cell Communication Flashcards
What is paracrine signaling?
Molecules that are released into extracellular fluid and affect nearby target cells
What is synaptic signaling?
The processes of communication between neurons at synapses
What is endocrine signaling?
Cells release hormones into bloodstream and travels throughout the body
What are some key features of endocrine signaling?
- Hormone production
- Long-Distance signaling
- Target cell specificity
- Regulation of physiological processes
What are the three stages of cell-signaling?
- Signal reception
- Signal transduction
- Cellular response
What is signal recpetion?
A signaling molecule binds to a receptor protein, causing it to change shape
What are the three types of membrane receptors?
- G protein coupled receptors
- Receptor tyrosine kinases
- Ion channel receptors
What is a ligand-gated ion channel?
When a receptor acts as a gate that opens and closes when the receptor changes shape
An activated hormone receptor complex acts as what?
A transcription factor, turning on or off specific genes
What is signal transduction?
Cascades of molecular interactions transmit signals from receptors to relay molecules in the cell
Many relay molecules in signal transduction are ___ ___, creating a ____ ____
protein kinases ; phosphorylation cascade
What are second messengers?
Small, nonprotein, water-soluble molecules or ions that spread through a cell by diffusion (Ex. cyclic AMP and calcium ions)
What is Cyclic AMP (cAMP)
A small molecule produced from ATP, one of the most widely used second messengers
What is adenylyl cyclase?
An enzyme in the plasma membrane that converts ATP to cAMP in response to an extracellular signal
What is cellular response?
Cell signaling leads to regulation of transcription or cytoplasmic activities
