Chapter 15 Flashcards
What are the three types of extracellular signalling
- Autocrine: a cell produces and responds to its signal
- Paracrine: signals travel short distances
- Endocrine: signals travel into the bloodstream to far target cells
What is a second messenger
- Molecules in the cell to transmit info from the receptor to target protein
What enzymes regulate protein phosphorylation in signalling pathways
- Kinases: Adds phosphate group to activate function
- Phosphatases: Removes phosphate groups to deactivate function
What is signal transduction
- The process of converting outer signals to responses in the cell, involving proteins
4 ways protein phosphorylation can alter its behaviour
- Activating/inactivating an enzyme
- Increasing/decreasing protein-protein interactions
- Changing protein location
- Trigger protein degradation
What are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)?
- They are a 7-α-helical-domain transmembrane protein that work with G-proteins (2º messenger) to transduct signals
Explain how GPCRs transduct signals
- The ligand binds which changes its conformation
- GDP -> GTP at the Gα subunit to allow effector association
- Gα binds to adenylyl cyclase which produces cyclic AMP
What is the role of heterotrimeric G proteins in GPCR signalling
- 3 subunits (α, β, γ)
- The Gα subunit can be activated by GTP phosphorylation (GPCR kinase) and deactivated by hydrolysis (GTPase)
- Activation will allow is to turn on downstream effectors
GPCR toxins
- Cholera toxin: adenylate cyclase activation = GTPase activity inhibition = intestinal water loss
- Pertussis toxin: inactivates Gα which causes immune defence inhibition
3 types of G proteins
- Gs: activates adenylyl cyclase which will increase cAMP production
- Gi: inhibits adenylyl cyclase which will reduce cAMP levels
- Gq: activates phospholipase C, which = DAG and IP3 as 2º messengers from the hydrolysis of PIP2
The role of adenylyl cyclase
- Converts ATP into cAMP, (2º messenger) which will activate downstream proteins (protein kinase A)
What are desensitizing/internalization of GPCR signals
- Desensitization: less responsive activity by phosphorylation and arrestin binding
- Internalization: they’re endocytosed, reducing their presence on the cell surface
3 second messengers
- cAMP: activates protein kinase A for phosphylation, degraded to AMP by phosphodiesterase (PDE)
- Diacylgylcerol (DAG): activates protein kinase C to phosphorylate serine and threonine residues on proteins
- Inositol triphosphate (IP3): formed at the membrane, bind to receptor at smooth ER which is a Ca2+ channel. Binding to the channel triggers Ca2+ release from the ER which activate Ca2+-binding proteins (calmodulin)
What does epinephrine do in different subunits (specificity)
- In cardiac muscles it activates the Gαs subunit -> cAMP production -> increased rate and force of contraction
- In intestinal smooth muscles it activates the Gαi subunit -> no cAMP production -> muscle relax
How are blood glucose levels regulated
- Hormone binds to its receptor, Gαs subunit activating adenylyl cyclase to convert ATP to cAMP
cAMP is synthesized leading to the reaction cascade (diffusion into the cytoplasm to bind to PKA) - PKA can translocate to the nucleus to phosphorylate CREB which binds to CRE elements on DNA
- Gluconeogenesis is a pathway thats encoded by genes of nearby CREs
The role of GPCRs in sensory perception
- rhodopsin: GPCR for black-and-white vision, color receptors in the cones are GPCRs
- the distal tips of neurons have odorant receptors that are found in the nose
What are receptor protein-tyrosine kinases
- They’re receptors that dimerize and auto phosphorylate (trans) tyrosine residues on their cytoplasmic ends to initiate signalling cascades
- Activated by extracellular growth and non-receptor ones are regulated indirectly by extracellular signals
Explain protein kinase activation
- After the kinases are phosphorylated by the tyrosine resides at their activation loop, it is stabilized to position away from its active site which will activate its kinase domain
- Subunits phosphorylate each other on tyrosine residues that are on adjacent region which will act ad binding sites for cellular signalling proteins