Endocrine Physiology Flashcards
What is the main function of the endocrine system?
Homeostasis
What functions does the endocrine system regulate?
Growth, development, reproduction, blood pressure, [ion/substance], behavior
Define a hormone.
Protein, steroid, amine transported through the blood to act on a distant target.
Name the twelve endocrine glands.
Hypothalamus, anterior and posterior pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal cortex, adrenal medulla, kidney, GI tract, gonads, placenta, pancreas.
What hormones are released by the hypothalamus?
TRH, CRH, GnRH, GHRH, somatostatin, dopamine
What hormones are released by the anterior pituitary?
FSH, LH, ACTH, TH, MSH, GH Prolactin
What hormones are released by the posterior pituitary?
oxytocin, ADH
What hormones are released by the thyroid?
T3, T4, calcitonin
What hormones are released by the parathyroid?
PTH
What hormones are released by the pancreas?
insulin, glucagon
What hormones are released by the adrenal medulla?
NEpin., epin.
What hormones are released by the kidney?
renin, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol
What hormones are released by the adrenal cortex?
cortisol, aldosterone, adrenal androgens
What hormones are released by the testes?
testosterone
What hormones are released by the ovaries?
estradiol, progesterone
What hormones are released by the corpus luteum?
estradiol, progesterone
What hormones are released by the placenta?
HCG, HPL, estriol, progesterone
From what parent molecule are peptide and protein hormones formed?
Amino acids
From what parent molecule are steroid hormones formed?
Cholesterol
From what parent molecule are amine hormones formed?
Tyrosine
What are the five steps in peptide/protein hormone formation?
DNA -> mRNA -> preprohormone -> prohormone -> hormone
Describe the tl of mRNA to preprohormone.
Translated on ribosome from N-terminal signal sequence. Moved to ER where translation is completed.
Describe the transition from preprohormone to prohormone.
Inside the ER the signal sequence is cleaved forming the prohormone. Sequences are removed that aided in protein folding.
Describe the transition from prohormone to hormone.
After transferring to the Golgi, and ultimately secretory vesicles, proteolytic enzymes cleave pieces of the protein to form the hormone.
Describe the release of the hormone.
Signal acts on the endocrine cell -> secretory vesicles release hormone ->physiologic action.
What organs/glands produce steroid hormones?
Adrenal cortex, gonads, corpus luteum, placenta
What are the seven steroid hormones?
Cortisol, aldosterone, estradiol, estriol, progesterone, testosterone, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol
What three modifications happen to the cholesterol molecule to produce the various steroid hormones?
removal/addition of side chains
hydroxylation
aromatization
What are the two subcategories of amine hormones?
catecholamines
thyroid hormones
Name the three catecholamines.
NEpin., epin., dopamine
Name the two thyroid hormones.
T3, T4
Amine hormones are all derivatives of…
tyrosine.
Give an example of neural mechanisms affecting hormone secretion.
Sympathetic preganglionic neuron acting on adrenal medulla to release NEpin., Epin.
Give a biological definition of feedback.
A product of a biosynthetic pathway acts on its own pathway to enhance or suppress further secretion(/synthesis?).
Define negative feedback.
Some feature of hormone action, directly or indirectly, inhibits further secretion of the hormone.
Describe how testosterone secretion acts as a negative feedback mechanism.
Hypoth -> ant. pit -> testis -> testosterone
testosterone acts on ant.pit and hypoth. to inhibit secretion of GnRH or LH.
Define long and short feedback loops.
Long feedback loop: hormone or product acting back on hypothalamic-pituitary axis (or other).
Short feedback loop: product acting within hypothalamic-pituitary axis.
Give an abstract definition of negative feedback.
Level is judged as adequate or high, further action is inhibited.
Give a non-hormonal example of (-)fb.
High blood glucose stimulates beta cell of pancreas to release insulin. Insulin causes uptake of blood glucose; insulin inhibits its own release from beta cells in pancreas.
Define positive feedback.
Some feature of hormone action causes more secretion. Leads to explosive events.
Give a non-hormonal example of (+)fb.
Depolarization of axon membrane opens V(Na+) channels. Na+ moves into axon causing further depolorization. This causes even more V(Na+) channels to open.
Result: explosive upstroke
Describe (+)fb during the midpoint of the menstrual cycle.
Ovaries release estrogen. Estrogen acts on anterior pituitary to release FSH, LH. FSH, LH act on ovaries to release more estrogen.
Describe (+)fb during parturition.
Cervical dilation sends neural impulse to hypothalamus which stimulates oxytocin release from posterior pituitary. Oxytocin release acts on cervix to cause further dilation.
How is the response of a hormone regulated?
[hormone], (+) or (-) fb, presence/absence of receptor on tissue
Define sensitivity in the context of hormones.
The concentration of hormone necessary to produce 50% of the maximal response.
How does sensitivity change?
The number of receptors.
The affinity of the receptor for a ligand.
What is the cellular mechanism of down-regulation?
Decrease synthesis, increase degradation, or inactivate receptors.
What is the cellular mechanism of up-regulation?
Increase synthesis, decrease degradation, or activate receptors.
Why is down-regulation necessary?
A high [hormone] can have its effects reduced so as not to stray too far from homeostasis.
Give an example of down-regulation with respect to progesterone.
Progesterone leads to a down-regulation of its own receptor AND estrogen receptors.
Give an example of down-regulation with respect to T3.
T3 down-regulates TRH receptors in anterior pituitary, therefore chronically high T3 levels decrease hypoth.-ant.pit. response.
Give an example of up-regulation with respect to prolactin. Give an example of up-regulation with respect to GH.
Prolactin increases its own receptors in the breast. GH up-regulates its own receptors in skeletal muscle and liver.
Give an example of up-regulation with respect to estrogen.
Estrogen up-regulates its own receptors and LH receptors in ovaries.
What are the five typical/well-known mechanisms of signal transduction?
adenylate cyclase, phospholipase C, steroid hormone, tyrosine kinase, guanylate cyclase
Describe the structure of G-proteins.
receptor domain, linked to 7TM domain, linked to intracellular domain that is associated with alpha, beta, gamma subunits.
What proteins increase G-alpha activity? What proteins decrease G-alpha activity?
GAPs (GTPase-activating proteins) increase GTP hydrolysis thus deactivating G-alpha.
GEFs (guanine-nucleotide exchange factors) increase exchange of GDP for GTP, thereby activating G-alpha.
Describe the seven steps in the adenylyl cyclase mechanism.
- hormone binds
- G-alpha-s-GTP dissociates
- G-alpha-s-GTP associates with adenylate cyclase
- AC converts ATP to cAMP
- cAMP is either inactivated by PDE or activates PKA
- PKA phosphorylates targets
- physiologic response
Describe the seven steps in the phospholipase C mechanism.
- hormone binds
- G-alpha-q-GTP dissociates
- G-alpha-q-GTP associates with PLC
- PLC converts PIP2 to DAG and IP3
- IP3 stimulates Ca2+ release from ER/SR
- Ca2+ and DAG stimulate PKC
- physiologic response
Give two examples of the guanylyl cyclase mechanism.
ANP (atrial natriuretic peptide) and NO
Describe ANP (artrial natriuretic peptide) signalling.
ANP binds receptor. Causes activation of GC. GC converts GTP to cGMP. cGMP activates cGMP-dependent kinase. Physiologic response.
Describe NO signalling.
NO synthase cleaves arginine into citrulline and NO. NO diffuses to nearby cells and activates cytosolic GC. GC converts GTP to cGMP. Cause relaxation of vascular smooth muscle.
Give four examples of serine/threonine kinases.
PKA, PKC, Ca2+-calmodulin dependent protein (CaMK), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK).
Describe the activation of monomeric tyrosine kinases.
ligand binds monomer, monomer dimerizes, dimers intrinsically phosphorylate themselves and targets.
Give two examples of representative monomeric type Tyr-kinases.
NGFs, EGFs
Describe the activation of dimeric tyrosine kinases.
ligand binds to dimer, activates intrinsic Tyr-kinase domain, phosphorylates itself and targets.
Describe the activation of tyrosine kinase-associated receptors.
ligand binds, receptors dimerize, activates associate JAK, JAK phosphorylates itself, the receptor, and targets.
What is a well known target of JAK?
STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription)
What is an example of a dimeric tyrosine kinase?
IGFs
Temporally, how does steroid signalling compare to peptide/protein signalling?
Steroid (hours)
Peptide/protein (minutes)
Describe the seven steps of the steroid signalling mechanism.
- steroid diffuses into cell
- binds cytoplasmic (nuclear) receptor
- receptors dimerize and bind SREs
- cause transcription and translation of genes
- physiologic response
What effect does 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol have on the intestine?
Causes Ca2+ absorption in the intestine.
What effect does aldosterone have?
Causes Na+-channel synthesis in renal distal tubule and collecting duct.
Describe the anatomical relationship of the hypothalamus to the posterior and anterior pituitary.
Hypothalamus projects neurons to the posterior pituitary. Hypothalamus is connected to the anterior pituitary by hypothalamic-hypophyseal portal system.
The posterior pituitary is differentiated ______
Neural tissue.
Since the post. pit. consists of the axonal projections of the hypothalamus; ADH and oxytocin are really…
Neuropeptides.