Hormone communication Flashcards
What is a hormone
molecules such as proteins or steroids that are released by endocrine glands directly into the blood, they act as messengers carrying a signal from the endocrine glands to a specific target organ or tissue
What is a target cell
for non-steroid hormones, cells that possess a specific receptor on their plasma membrane, shape of the receptor is complementary to the shape of the hormone molecule and many similar cells together form a target tissue
what is the endocrine system
this is a communication system using hormones as signalling molecules
What are the two types of hormone
- Protein and peptide hormones and derivatives of amino acids for example adrenaline, insulin and glucagon
- Steroid hormones for example oestrogen and testosterone
Describe protein hormones
Proteins are not soluble in the phospholipid membrane so do not enter the cell therefore they need to bind to the cell surface membrane and release a secondary messenger inside the cell
Describe steroid hormones
Steroid hormones can pass through the membrane and enter the cell and the nucleus this has a direct effect of the DNA in the nucleus
Describe endocrine glands
- Hormones are released directly into the blood from the endocrine glands
- Endocrine glands are ductless glands and consist of groups of cells that release the hormone directly into the blood in capillaries running through the gland
How do hormones cause responses
- Hormones have a specific function and are transported all over the body but they only effect on kind of tissue
- Cells receiving an endocrine signal are called target cells
- May be grouped into a target tissue
- Or they may be widely dispersed in multiple tissues such as the receptors for adrenaline found in the central nervous system and cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and skeletal muscle
- For non-steroid hormones the target cell must have a specific receptor on plasma membrane that is complementary to the shape of the molecule
- This overall means that hormones can be carried in the blood without affecting cells that do not possess the correct specific receptor, only those that are specific possess the correct receptor and will respond to the hormone
Describe First and secondary messengers
- Non steroid hormones are known as first messengers; they are signalling molecules outside the cell bind to the plasma membrane and causes a change
1. Cause the release of another signalling molecule called the secondary messenger which stimulate the change in activity
2. G protein is activated when the hormone binds to the receptor
3. G protein in turn activates an effector molecule usually an enzyme that converts the inactive molecule into the active second messenger
4. Effector molecule is adenyl cyclase this converts ATP to cyclic AMP (CAMP)
5. CAMP is a second messenger and this acts directly on another protein or initiates a cascade of enzyme controlled reactions that alter the activity of the cell
Describe the structure of the adrenal glands
- Found just above the kidneys
- Divided into the outer adrenal cortex and the inner adrenal medulla
- Well supplied with blood and produce hormones which are directly secreted into the blood vessels
Describe the parts of the adrenal cortex
- Zona Glomerulosa – outermost layer, this secretes mineralocorticoids such as aldosterone
- Zona fasciculata – the middle layer which secretes glucocorticoids such as cortisol
- Zona reticularis – the innermost layer which is thought to secrete precursor molecules that are used to make sex hormones
What does the adrenal medulla do
Secretes adrenaline and noradrenaline
Describe adrenaline
- Polar molecule derived from the amino acid tyrosine
- Cannot enter cells through the plasma membrane therefore it must be detected by specialised receptors on the plasma membrane of the target cells
What is the function of the hormones from the adrenal glands
- Relaxes smooth muscle in bronchioles
- Increase stroke volume
- Increase heart rate
- Causes vasocontriction to raise blood pressure
- Dilates pupils
- Increases conversion of glycogen to glucose
- Increase mental awareness
- Inhibit the action of the gut
- Causing body hair to stand erect
what does the adrenal cortex use to produce a range of hormones
- cholesterol, therefore the hormones are steroid base and are able to enter cells directly by dissolving into the cell surface membrane
- steroid hormones have an direct effect on the DNA to cause protein synthesis
What is the action of steroid hormones
- The steroid hormone passes through the cell membrane of the target cell
- The steroid hormone binds with a specific receptor in the cytoplasm
- The receptor-steroid hormone complex enters the nucleus of the target cell and binds to another specific receptor on the chromosomal material
- Binding stimulates the production of messenger RNA which codes for production of proteins