Lecture 12 Flashcards

1
Q

What are homeostatic mechanisms?

A

Act to counteract changes in the internal environment (exist at cell, tissue, organ, organism level) so internal conditions remain stable/constant

Not a steady state- dynamic equilibrium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the characteristics of a control system?

A
  • stimulus (change)
  • receptors to detect stimuli
  • control centre (often hypothalamus/pituitary)-determines set points, analyses afferent input, determines response
  • effector (causes change)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Give come examples of receptors:

A

Proprioceptors (coordination-self aware of where body is)
Nociceptors (sense pain)
Chemoreceptors (chemicals)
Thermoreceptors (heat)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the afferent pathway in a control system?

A

Communication between receptor to control centre
(Nervous system-AP’s/endocrine system-hormones)

A comes before e in alphabet so Afferent comes before Efferent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the efferent pathway in a control system?

A

Communication between the control centre and the effector

Nervous-AP’s/Endocrine-hormones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Give some examples of effectors:

A
  • sweat glands (thermal regulation)
  • muscle (reflex)
  • kidney (regulation of water content in body)

These cause the change

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Can the set point of a control centre vary?

A

It is dynamic- circadian/diurnal rhythm (things change with time) so must record time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What cues from the environment feed into circadian rhythm/biological clock?

A
  • light
  • temp
  • exercise
  • social interaction
  • eating/drinking pattern
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Which nucleus in the hypothalamus is responsible for the biological clock?

A

Small group of neurones in suprachiasmatic nucleus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are some circadian rhythms?

A
  • body temp (decreases when asleep)
  • cortisol (peak first thing in morning, at minimum at midnight)
  • melatonin
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is negative feedback + the hypothalamus/pituitary axis?

A
  • response to reverse direction of change
  • most common

(Hypothalamus secretes hormones which have trophic effects- effect secretions of other hormone- in anterior pituitary which travels in blood to target organ for that to secrete hormone)
-local blood supply between the hypothalamus and pituitary

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is long loop negative feedback?

A

From last hormone in system feeding back to anterior pituitary/hypothalamus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is the short/ultrashort loop?

A

Short: Hormonal product from anterior pituitary is feeding back to hypothalamus

Ultrashort: hormone released from hypothalamus inhibits its own release

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is positive feedback? (Rare)

A

-response to change variable even more in the direction of change
(Used when rapid change is desirable)

  • clotting
  • ovulation
  • Ferguson reflex (cycle of uterine contractions initiated by pressure at the cervix)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How do you regulate the amount of water in the body?

A

Osmoreceptors in hypothalamus

-Sense osmolality of blood

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the difference between osmolarity and osmolality?

A

Osmolarity: number of osmoles per litre (volume)
Osmolality: number of osmoles per kg (mass)

Osmoles instead of moles (osmotically active particles)
E.g. dissolving NaCl (osmolarity will be double that of the molarity)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

How does ADH work?

A
  • high blood osmolality (body needs water)
  • detected by osmoreceptors in hypothalamus- signals thirst centre= drinking to reduce osmolality of plasma
  • hormones synthesised in hypothalamus transported down neurones to be stored in posterior pituitary which then secretes more ADH (other hormone from posterior pituitary is oxytocin)
  • ADH signals to cells in collecting duct to increase number of Aquaporins allowing increased reabsorption of water
  • small volume of urine

-low blood osmolality
-detected by osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus
-posterior pituitary secretes less ADH
-decreased absorption of water back into collecting duct
= more water lost in large volume of dilute urine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are the 2 hormones in the posterior pituitary?

A

ADH

Oxytocin

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Mechanism of glucose homeostasis:

A

-eat meal increases plasma glucose
-pancreas senses increase in glucose and releases insulin
-insulin stimulates glycogenesis in liver + stimulate glucose uptake into tissue via GLUT 4 in adipose/muscle tissue
= plasma glucose conc declines back to 5mM

-fasting decreases plasma glucose
-pancreas (detected by alpha cells in islets of langerhans) secretes glucagon
-stimulates glycogenolysis in liver so glucose released into blood
= plasma glucose increases back to 5mM

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

Collection of glands located throughout the body
(Hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, pineal, adrenal glands)
-hormones are chemical signals produced by endocrine glands and travel in blood to remote target site

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Apart from endocrine glands, which organs and tissues release hormones?

A
  • heart (ANP + BNP)
  • liver (IGF1)
  • stomach (Ghrelin + Gastrin)
  • placenta
  • adipose tissue (Leptin)
  • kidney (EPO, Renin, calcitriol)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are the mechanisms of communications via hormones?

A

Autocrine (Hormone signal acts back on cell of origin)
Paracrine (hormone signal carried to adjacent cells over short distance via interstitial fluid)
Endocrine (hormones in bloodstream)
Neurocrine (hormone down axon and released into bloodstream)

23
Q

Can a neurotransmitter be a hormone?

A

Yes, dependent on the context.

E.g. dopamine

24
Q

Similarities/ differences between endocrine and nervous system:

A
  • both capable of secreting
  • both can be depolarised
  • both require interaction with specific receptors in target cells
  • systems work in parallel to control homeostasis
  • endocrine= slow, nervous= fast
  • nervous= synapses and axons, endocrine= bloodstream
  • both can be chemical but nervous is also electrical
25
Q

What are the classifications of hormones?

A

Peptide/polypeptide hormones (largest group)
-all water soluble
Amino acid derivatives (amines-synthesised from aromatic AA’s)
-adrenal medulla hormones (water soluble- adrenaline/noradrenaline)
-thyroid hormones (lipid soluble)
Glycoproteins (large protein molecules)
-water soluble
Steroid (derived from cholesterol)
-lipid soluble

26
Q

Which AA derivative hormones are water/lipid soluble?

A

Adrenal medulla: water soluble

Adrenaline/noradrenaline

27
Q

How are lipid soluable hormones transported around the body?

A

Require binding protein to facilitate transport around blood (unbound form is biologically active, so when bound they aren’t active)

-we have specific binding proteins e.g. thyroxine binding protein

28
Q

What factors can we modulate to alter hormone levels?

A
  1. Rate of production (most highly regulated)
  2. Rate of delivery (higher blood flow increases rate of delivery)
  3. Rate of degredation (hormones metabolised and secreted)
29
Q

What unit do we use to measure hormones?

A

10^-12 picomolar concentration of hormones in blood

Hormones are present in very tiny concentrations

30
Q

How do hormones exert their effect?

A

Bind to specific receptors on target cells to elicit a biological response

31
Q

How do water soluable hormones enter cells?

A

-unable to pass through plasma membrane
Cell surface receptors used
-second messenger is used to relay hormone response through to cytoplasm
(G-protein: alpha > binding of hormone, dissociation of G protein, activates adenylyl cyclase, activation of cAMP, activation of PKA, phosphorylation of target proteins)
(Tyrosine kinase receptors: insulin-autophosphorylation of tyrosine residues, recruits adapter proteins + signalling complex, activates protein kinase, phosphorylation of protein)
(

32
Q

How do lipid soluble hormones work?

A
  • readily pass through plasma membrane (steroid hormones)
  • act as transcription factors
  • bind to receptor which effects gene transcription
  • bind to receptor in cytoplasm (type 1)
  • receptor complex binds to nucleus and alters gene transcription

-hormone enters nucleus itself and binds to receptor in there (type 2)
Expression of new protein which mediates effect of hormone

33
Q

Which method is faster?

A

Water soluable - as components are already in place

Because the lipid soluble acts as a TF to make the protein which will elicit the effect

34
Q

What structure controls appetite?

A

Satiety centre is in the hypothalamus

-arcuate nucleus

35
Q

What is a nuclei in the brain?

A

Collection of neurones with similar function

35
Q

What is jet lag?

A

Long haul flights crossing time zones result in a mismatch between environmental cues and body clock

36
Q

Which hormone is involved in setting the biological clock?

A

Melatonin from pineal gland

-high whilst asleep, some people take it to limit effects of jet lag

37
Q

What is the normal blood osmolality range?

A

Between 275-295 mOsm/kg

38
Q

What is the normal plasma glucose level?

A

5mM

39
Q

Give some examples of peptide hormones:

A
  • insulin
  • glucagon
  • growth hormone
40
Q

Give some examples of amino acid derivative hormones:

A
  • adrenaline (tyrosine)
  • noradrenaline (tyrosine)
  • thyroid hormones (tyrosine)
  • melatonin (tryptophan)
41
Q

Give some examples of glycoprotein hormones:

A
  • luteinizing hormone
  • follicle stimulating hormone
  • thyroid stimulating hormone
42
Q

Give some examples of steroid hormones:

A
  • cortisol
  • aldosterone
  • testosterone
  • progesterone

All derivatives of cholesterol

43
Q

How are water soluble hormones transported?

A

Travel in simple solution dissolved in plasma of blood

Peptide hormones/adrenaline

44
Q

What are the roles of carrier proteins in blood?

A
  • increase solubility of hormone in plasma
  • increase half life (stability)
  • readily accessible reserve (release form binding proteins)
45
Q

Why does obesity arise?

A

Chronic imbalance between energy intake and expenditure

BMI >30kg/m2

46
Q

What neurones do you find in the arcuate nucleus?

A
  • primary neurones (stimulatory/inhibitory)

- secondary neurones (integrate the signals from the primary neurone to produce a response)

47
Q

What are the function of stimulatory/inhibitory primary neurones in the arcuate nucleus?

A
Stimulatory neurones 
-contain neuropeptide Y (NPY) + Agouti-related peptide (AgRP)
-promote hunger
Inhibitory neurones
-contain pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)
-promote satiety
48
Q

What are some hormonal signals from gut to hypothalamus?

A

Ghrelin
-peptide hormone released from stomach was when empty
-stimulates excitatory primary neurones to stimulate appetite
-filling of stomach inhibits ghrelin release
PYY (peptide tyrosine tyrosine)
-suppress appetite
-released by cells in ileum/colon in response to feeding
-inhibits excitatory primary neurones + stimulates the inhibitory ones

49
Q

Give some examples of hormonal signals from body to hypothalamus:

A

Leptin
-released from adipose tissue
-suppress appetite (stimulates inhibitory neurones/inhibits excitatory neurones)
-induces expression of uncoupling proteins in mitochondria so energy is dissipated as heat
Insulin
-suppresses appetite similar mechanism to Leptin
-less important than Leptin
Amylin
-peptide hormone secreted by beta cells in pancreas
-suppress appetite (slow gastric emptying/decrease glucagon secretion)

50
Q

What are the primary neurones also known as?

A

Stimulatory: orexigenic
Inhibitory: anorexigenic

51
Q

What is an important receptor on the secondary neurone?

A

MC4 receptors: promotes satiety

52
Q

What occurs if you have a leptin mutation?

A

Loss of function of leptin gene
= obesity
(Leptin injections given to reduce weight)