Hormones Flashcards
What are the differences between a synpse and endocrine release?
Synpatic:
- Targeting achieved by specific ‘wiring’
- Fastest transmission speed, to minimise response delays
- Good for brief responses
- Across synapses
- Neurotransmitters
Endocrine:
- Released into the blood
Target by presence of specific receptors on target cells
- Relatively slow, but long lasting action (moving through bloodstream as opposed to moving down axons)
- Good for widespread and sustained responses
- Hormones
- Through the bloodstream
What are endocrine glands?
Cells that secrete horomes which are carried into the bloodsteam and act upon target cells
What are the major endocrine glands?
Hypothalamus, Pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pineal, pancreas, parathyroid
What is Paracrine communication?
Paracrines transmission through extracellular fluid
- Limited to local area, target cells must have appropriate receptors
What is Autocrine communication?
Autocrine transmission through extracellular fluid
- limited to the cell that secretes the chemical signal
What is endocrine communication?
Hormone Transmission through the bloodstream
- Target cells mainly in other distant tissues and organs and must have appropriate receptors
What are water soluble hormones?
They are mostly peptides (75%) which are small chains of amino acids
- Some catecholamines
- Adrenaline and noradrenaline
Storage: Made and stored until required (released by exocytosis)
Transport: Travel dissolved in the blood Fast process (milliseconds to mins)
What are lipid soluble hormones?
Steroids (thyroid including both T3 and T4)
- Cortisol
Storage: Ateroids are made from cholesterol as required (not stored)
Thyroid hormones are made in thyroid cells and stored until required (This storage is unusual for lipid-soluble hormones)
Transport: Travel in the blood bound to a carrier protein Slow process (hours to days)
What is the cellular response to receptor activation for water soluble hormones (peptides and catecholamines)
- Water-soluble hormone binds to cell surface receptor
- Hormone binding allows activation of associated G-protein
- G-protein activates/inhibits adenylyl cyclase, or increases intracellular Ca2+
- Second messenger production/reduction e.g. cyclic AMP (cAMP) or Ca2+
- Downstream proteins/pathways are activated or deactivated
Cellular response to activation of receptors with lipid soluble hormones (steroid and thyroid)
Sits on carrier protein and is transported around the blood
- Lipid-soluble hormone dissociates from carrier protein
- Hormone diffuses across cell membrane
- Hormone binds to Intracellular receptor (in cytoplasm or in the nucleus)
- Hormone receptor complex acts as a specific transcription factor
- Target gene is activated (causes a change in the way this gene is expressed)
- New protein is generated by translation of mRNA
- New protein mediates cell specific response (slow process)
What does amount of hormone in the blood depend on?
Rate of hormone secretion
Rate of removal from blood
What is the pancreas?
A exocrine and endocrine gland in which pancreatic islet beta cells secrete insulin and pancreatic alpha cells secrete glucagon
What are the two states of the body in the day (to do wilth glucose)
Fed and fasting state
Fed state:
- cellular uptake of nutrients & anabolic metabolism (synthesis of glycogen, protein and fat)
Fasting state:
- mobilisation of nutrients & catabolic metabolism (breakdown of glycogen, protein and fat)
- Get the stored glucose out of our cells so we can use it while we are not taking food in
How is blood glucose regulated?
Insulin (beta) and glucagon (alpha) maintain blood glucose conc between 70-110mg dL-1 (reference range)
What is the insulin secretion pathway?
Increase in blood glucose is detected by beta cells
- This causes a release of insulin
- Insulin travels through blood to target cells
- Cells need to right receptor
Insulin is a peptide hormones (water soluble) moves freely throughout the bloodstream
What does insulin secretion result in?
Liver cells:
- Glucose uptake increases and this is synthesised into glycogen and fat synthesis
Muscle and adipose cells:
- Glucose up take is increased and there is fat synthesis as well as glycogen and protein synthesis
What us the glucagon secretion pathway?
Decrease in blood glucose is detected by alpha cells which them secrete glucagon (peptide hormone)
What does the glucagon secretion result in?
Liver cells:
- -> increased breakdown of glycogen as well as increase in glucose synthesis
- -> Ketone synthesis increases