Module 6 Flashcards
cell signalling
the pathways where cells receive signals, interpret them and then act biologically
Signal transduction
the mechanisms cells use to “see” ligands that bound to receptors on other side of cells
- info is converted from a ligand to a biological response
Why is signal transduction important
because it can cause cells to:
- die
- mature + differentiate
- move
- acquire/lose specific functions
plays a role in:
- fight or flight
- insulin/blood glucose regulation
How do cells receive signals from outside the cell?
- Shape change in receptor - initiated signalling
- Signal relay and amplification - until signal received by effector protein
- Effector protein mediates biological response
- Signal shutdown - feedback inhibition
general features of pathways
a) specificity
b) amplification
c) modularity
d) desensitisation
e) integration
types of signals
a) endocrine signalling (hormones)
b) paracrine signalling (cells signal to adjacent cells)
c) autocrine signalling (cell controls its own functions)
d) plasma-membrane attached signalling (ligand attaches to one cell and need physical touch to relay message)
Juxtacrine
Receptors
- most receptors are found on cell surface
- cytoplasmic + nuclear receptors can bind lipophilic that pass through membrane
- some receptors can detect light and heat
- magnitude of cells response can be limited by no. of receptors expressed by cell
- ligand binding causes structural change in receptor - initiation of signalling
second messengers
- hormones and ligands are first messengers
- first messengers bind + release second messengers
- second messengers are transient (can be easily inactivated) + serve to rapidly amplify signals
Effectors
- signalling proteins and second messengers move the ‘message’ around the cell and convert it to a way that the effector proteins can understand it
- the ones that act on the signal
- terminal component of pathway
- more sm and effector proteins increase cells ability to amplify signals (small signal = large response)
Allosteric modification
molecule alters the conformation of a protein when it binds non-covalently to protein (alternative site) e.g. calmodulin/Ca2+
Covalent modification
modification of chemical structure of protein
- reversible
e.g. phosphorylation, ubiquitination etc
proteolysis
- protein cleavage by a protease
- can activate or inactivate a protein
- not reversible
e.g. insulin (?)
how do modifications alter protein function?
- activates enzymatic activity
- unmasks active sites
- alters localisation of protein
- facilitated protein:protein interactions
- alters protein stability
signals and their pathways are: ?
modular
- proteins have small, conserved domains capable of interacting with other proteins
- interaction domains are essential
- many proteins have multiple interaction domains that allow interaction with many different proteins at once
Signalling cascade
- multiple similar steps
- more steps = more amplification
- individual components used in multiple pathways
- can be activated by multiple different receptor families = allows pathways to talk and coordinate response
gene expression is controlled by:
transcriptional regulators