Cell Signaling Pathways: Steroid Hormones (Sex Hormones)

Question 1

What are the two main things that make up hormones?

Answer 1

Amino acids and cholesterol

Question 2

What are some examples are steroid hormones?

Answer 2

progesterone, cortisol, aldosterone, testosterone, and estradiol

Question 3

common structure of steroid hormones

Answer 3

4 carbon rings

Question 4

Where are progesterone, cortisol, and aldosterone made?

Answer 4

adrenal cortex

Question 5

Where is testosterone made?

Answer 5

in the testes

Question 6

Where is estradiol made?

Answer 6

in the ovaries

Question 7

What layer of adrenal cortex is androgen made?

Answer 7

inner layer

Question 8

What layer of adrenal cortex is cortisol made?

Answer 8

middle layer

Question 9

What layer of adrenal cortex is aldosterone made?

Answer 9

outer layer

Question 10

How are hormones moved throughout the circulation?

Answer 10

They bind to plasma proteins and allow for the circulation of the hormones

Question 11

What is the biologically active form of hormones?

Answer 11

the ones that are not bound to plasma proteins

Question 12

When measuring hormone levels in the body, what is being measured?

Answer 12

the concentration of free hormone not bound to a protein

Question 13

Are genomic hormones fast or slow acting?

Answer 13

slow

Question 14

do steroid hormones bind extracellularly or intracellularly?

Answer 14

intracellularly in most cases

Question 15

process of hormones affecting genome:

Answer 15

-enter the cell
-bind to protein to be able to enter the nucleus
-bind to DNA in the nucleus
-cause genomic effects

Question 16

process of nongenome affecting hormones

Answer 16

-bind to cell surface receptor
-activate secondary messenger
-cell signaling event for the effect
FAST

Question 17

Examples of lipid soluble hormones that bind to members of nuclear steroid superfamily:

Answer 17

cortisol, retinoic acid, thryoxine

Question 18

Do steroids bind to random segments of DNA?

Answer 18

no, they have specific nucleotide sequence that they bind to

Question 19

What are natural steroid hormones derived from?

Answer 19

cholesterol

Question 20

Can steroid hormones pass through the cell membrane?

Answer 20

Yes, they do not always need a cell surface receptor

Question 21

What mediate genome actions?

Answer 21

nuclear receptors

Question 22

Where are glucocorticoids made?

Answer 22

adrenal cortex

Question 23

What are the functions of cortisol?

Answer 23

increase blood sugar, suppress immune system, and aid in metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates
-also decrease bone formation
-anti-inflammatory effect

Question 24

Signaling process of glucocorticoids:

Answer 24

bind to intracellular receptors that are associated with heat shock proteins (heat shock prevent the binding to DNA before hormone binds)
-once the hormone binds, the heat shock protein leaves
-goes and bind to DNA

Question 25

Glucocorticoids do what to the inflammatory and immune response?

Answer 25

Decrease
-increased bruising
-limit inflammatory response
-reduce cytokines and T cell activation
-reduce immunity in the body

Question 26

What is cortisone?

Answer 26

synthetic corticosteroid
-not specific affects
-can have off target effects
-cause increased blood glucose and cause bone to breakdown

Question 27

Function of NSAIDs:

Answer 27

anti-inflammatory that has specific targets
-inhibit cyclic oxygenase
-decrease inflammation

Question 28

When are glucocorticoids taken?

Answer 28

after organ transplants to reduce the possibility of rejecting the organ
-do not prevent infection by themselves
-decrease immune system and actually increase the risk of infection
-synthesis regulated by corticotrophin releasing hormone

Question 29

What is osteoporosis?

Answer 29

decrease in bone density due to decrease osteoblast activity and increase osteoclast activity

Question 30

What happens to estrogen after menopause?

Answer 30

it decreases

Question 31

What happens as a result of decreased estrogen?

Answer 31

bone loss

Question 32

What are SERMS?

Answer 32

selective estrogen receptor modulators
-are not estrogens so do not have as many side effect with breast and cervical cancers

Question 33

Examples of androgens:

Answer 33

-dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
-androstenediol
-androstenedione
-testosterone
5alpha-dihydrotestosterone

Question 34

Clinical use of androgen

Answer 34

-male androgen insufficiency
-treatment of children with failure to grow
-bone marrow stimulation
-masculinizing hormone therapy

Question 35

Anabolic steroids

Answer 35

synthetic testosterone
-made in 1930 to stimulate puberty in boys and to treat chronic wasting disease
-large health risks (high cholesterol, acne, high BP, liver damage, and changes in left ventricle)

Question 36

Androgen insensitivity syndrome

Answer 36

mutations in hormone binding region cause absence of hormone binding leading to testicular feminization

Question 37

Mutations in estrogen receptors

Answer 37

-found in breast cancer, endometrial disease, and some psychiatric disease

Question 38

Nongenomic steroid hormone action

Answer 38

response to receptor binding that does not initially influence gene expression
-involve signaling cascade
-may or may not result in gene expression

Question 39

Cushing syndrome is a disorder that occurs when your body makes too much of cortisol over a long period of time. Which of the following symptoms is not expected in a patient with Cushing’s syndrome?

Answer 39

decrease in blood sugar

Question 40

how do steroid hormones travel in the blood?

Answer 40

bound to carrier proteins due to their lipid or hydrophobic properties