endocrine system - Feb 8th & 15th Flashcards
Who was Claude Bernard?
- “father of modern physiology”
- stated that our internal environment remains remarkably constant despite changes in the external milieu
Who was Walter Canon?
coined the term “homeostasis” to describe the relative stability of the internal environment
What does homeostatic control rely on?
- sensor: constant monitoring
- integrating centre: coordinates
- response system: changes
Most systems operate in a ______ feedback manner
negative
Homeostasis is maintained largely in part by the ______ system
endocrine
What is the consequence of a hyper-function endocrine dysfunction?
Too much hormone
What is the consequence of a hypo-function endocrine dysfunction?
Too little hormone
What is the consequence of a resistance endocrine dysfunction?
hormone has too little effect
What is an endocrine gland?
- a tissue that secretes a substance into the blood stream
- substance then travels by the blood to influence a target cell
The Classic Minkowski experiment discovered _______
insulin
How did the Classic Minkowski experiment make its discovery?
- surgical removal of the pancreas in a dog resulted in dog developing diabetes
- implantation of pieces of pancreas under the skin of the dog resulted in prevention of symptoms of diabetes
What did Banting and Best discover?
- insulin
- identified antidiabetic substance in pancreatic extracts
- injection of these extracts prevents symptoms of diabetes (prevents elevated blood glucose)
Describe the four properties of insulin:
- peptide hormone produced by beta cells of pancreas
- promotes absorption of glucose from blood to skeletal muscle and fat tissue
- stored as hexamer, zinc ion and histadine residues in its inactive form
- in its active form it is a monomer
What are the four types of hormones?
- protein and polypeptide hormones (<100 amino acids)
- steroid hormones (cholesterol derivatives)
- glycoprotein hormones
- amine hormones (catecholamines or thyroid)
What is autocrine signaling
A signaling molecule targets sites on the same cell that it is secreted from
What is paracrine signaling?
A Secretory cell secretes signaling molecules that affects another target cell in close proximity
What is endocrine signaling?
signaling molecule secreted into blood by endocrine gland
signaling molecule travels via blood to target molecule
Which type(s) of hormone(s) is/are synthesized in advance?
- peptide
- amine (cat & thyroid)
which type(s) of hormone(s) is/are synthesized on demand?
steroid
Peptide and amine hormones are stored in _______
secretory vesicles
Which type(s) of hormone(s) is/are released from cell via exocytosis?
- peptide
- amine (cat)
Which type(s) of hormone(s) is/are released from cell via diffusion?
- steroid
- amine (thyroid)
Which type(s) of hormone(s) is/are transported in the blood by being dissolved in the plasma?
- peptide
- amine (cat)
Which type(s) of hormone(s) is/are transported in the blood by being bound to carrier proteins?
- steroid
- amine (thyroid)
Which type(s) of hormone(s) has/have a short half-life?
- peptide
- amine (cat)
Which type(s) of hormone(s) has/have a long half-life?
- steroid
- amine (thyroid)
insulin is an example of a(n) _______ type of hormone
peptide
Estrogen / androgen are examples of _______ type of hormone
steroid
Epinephrine / norepinephrine are examples of ________ type of hormone
amine (cat)
Thyroxine (T4) is an example of a(n) _______ type of hormone
amine (thyroid)
hormones bind to ______ in target cells
receptors
Receptors have very high ______ for a particular hormone
specificity
What happens when “hormone overspill” occurs?
non-specific protein-receptor binding
Receptors for most hormones are found in the _______ of target cells
plasma membrane
Receptors for ____ and _____ hormones are inside the target cells
- steroid
- thyroid
How do transmembrane receptors work?
- hormone binds to extracellular domain of receptor and activates one or more cytoplasmic signaling pathways
- many of these pathways involve phosphorylation and enzyme activation
- some pathways lead to DNA/mRNA/protein pathway response; other have local effect in target cell
What are the steps of the Adenylate Cyclase pathway?
- hormone binds G protein coupled receptor, G-proteins dissociate
- alpha subunit of G-protein activates adenylate cyclase (AC)
- AC catalyzes product of cAMP
- cAMP removes regulatory unit from PKA
- active PKA activates other molecules (hormonal response)
What are the steps of the epinephrine - adenylate cyclase pathway
- epinephrine binds to beta-adrenergic receptor on liver cell
- G-proteins activated - subunit carrying GDP dissociates - GDP -> GTP
- Subunit activated adenylyl cyclase which catalyzes ATP -> cAMP
- cAMP activates PKA, which activates phosphorylase
- Phosphorylase converts glycogen to glucose-6-phosphate
- glucose-6-phosphate -> glucose (released from liver)
What did Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka do?
- 2012 Nobel prize in Chem
- how cells in our body sense their environments
- focus on G protein coupled receptors
- understanding how these proteins work crucial to unravelling complex network of signaling between cells