Chapter 9 Flashcards
Define cell communication:
The process by which cells can detect, interpret, and respond to signals in their environment. In multicellular organisms, cell communication is also needed to coordinate cellular activities within the whole organism.
Define signal:
Regarding cell communication, an agent that influences the properties of cells.
Define receptor:
A cellular protein that recognizes a signaling molecule and becomes activated or inhibited in response to it.
Define cellular response:
Adaptation at the cellular level that involves a cell responding to signals in its environment.
Types of cell-to-cell communication:
- Direct intercellular signaling
- Contact-dependent signaling
- Autocrine signaling
- Paracrine signaling
- Endocrine signaling
What are hormones?
In animals, a chemical signal that is produced in a gland or other structure and released into the blood or hemolymph, where it acts on distant target cells. In plants, a signaling molecule that is important in the coordination of plant development or plant response to the environment.
What are the three stages of cell signaling?
- Receptor activation
- Signal transduction pathway
- Cellular response
What is a signal transduction pathway?
A group of proteins that convert an initial signal to a different signal inside a cell.
What are the three common categories of proteins that are affected by cell signaling?
- Enzymes
- Structural proteins
- transcription factors
What is a ligand? (think signaling molecule)
An ion or molecule that binds to a protein, such as an enzyme or a receptor.
What are the three most common types of cell surface receptors?
- enzyme-linked receptors
- G-protein-coupled receptors
- ligand-gated ion channels
What is a protein kinase?
An enzyme that transfers a phosphate group from ATP to a specific amino acid in a protein.
