Neurobiology - Week 4 - Neurotransmitters Flashcards

1
Q

What are the key anatomical elements of the neurotransmitter process?

A
  1. Neurotransmitter synthesising enzymes
  2. Synaptic vesicles/transporters
  3. Reuptake transporters
  4. Degradative enzymes
  5. Transmitter gated-ion channels
  6. G-protein-coupled receptors
  7. G-proteins
  8. G-protein-gated ion channels
  9. Second messenger cascades
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2
Q

Where are G-protiens found?

A

Intracellular regions of the membrane

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3
Q

What are the 3 classes of neurotransmitters?

A

Amino acids, amines and peptides

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4
Q

What was the first identified neurotransmitter?

A

acetylcholine

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5
Q

What are the 3 criteria to be a neurotransmitter?

A
  1. Synthesis and storage in the presynaptic neuron
  2. Released by the presynaptic axon terminal
  3. When applied, mimics post-synaptic cell response produced by the release of neurotransmitters from the presynaptic neuron
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6
Q

How does immunohistochemistry help to identify neurotransmitters?

A

We’re using the immune system to create antibodies against a particular sequence of amino acids, to identify peptides,

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7
Q

Explain the process of utilising immunohistochemistry to identify neurotransmitters

A
  1. Inject neurotransmitter into candidate (e.g. rabbit/mouse)
  2. Withdraw specific antibodies from ear vein
  3. Purify antibodies
  4. Get a brain tissue section and slice
  5. Apply antibody to the tissue for 48 hours
  6. Antibody binds to neurotransmitters in the brain tissue slices
  7. Ability to identify neurotransmitters
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8
Q

What are acetylcholine (ACh) receptors?

A
  • Nicotinic
  • Muscarinic
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9
Q

What are 3 glutamate agonist receptors?

A
  • AMPA
  • NMDA
  • Kainate receptor
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10
Q

What is an ionotropic receptor?

A
  • Ligand-gated ion channels
  • Has confirmational change
  • Selective ion channels open
  • Fast response
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11
Q

What is a metabotropic receptor?

A
  • G-protein coupled receptors
  • Slow response
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12
Q

What 3 neurotransmitters are derived from tyrosine?

A

Catecholamines (norepinephrine & epinephrine)
Dopamine

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13
Q

What amino acid is serotonin derived from?

A

tryptophan

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14
Q

What does GABA stand for?

A

Gamma-amino-butyric-acid

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15
Q

Is GABA an inhibitory or excitatory neurotransmitter?

A

Major inhibitory neurotransmitter in CNS

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16
Q

How many subunits form a pore in the transmitter-gated ion channels?

A

5
(Pentamers)

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17
Q

Describe an NMDA receptor and it’s function

A
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18
Q

Discuss GABA receptors

A
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19
Q

What are 3 steps in g-protein-coupled receptor transmissions?

A
  • Binding of the neurotransmitter to the receptor protein
  • Activation of G-proteins
  • Activation of effector systems
20
Q

Describe the basic structure of a g-protein-coupled receptor

A

A single polypeptide with 7 membrane-alpha-helices

21
Q

What are the 5 steps in a G-protein operations

A
22
Q

Describe divergence and convergence

A
23
Q

G protein signal amplification

A
24
Q

Who was the person to discover the first neurotransmitter acetylcholine?

A

Otto Loewi - 1920’s

25
Q

What neurotransmitter doe glutamatergic neurons use?

A

Glutamate

26
Q

What is In Situ Hybridization?

A

Strands of mRNA consist of nucleotides arranged in a specific sequence.

Each nucleotide will stick to one other complementary nucleotide.

a synthetic probe is constructed containing a sequence of complementary nucleotides that will allow it to stick to the mRNA.

If the probe is labelled, the location of cells containing the mRNA will
be revealed.

27
Q

What is fluorescence in situ hybridization also known as?

A

FISH

28
Q

What is microiontophoresis?

A

a process for observing or recording the effect of an ionized substance on nerve cells that involves inserting a double micropipette into the brain close to a nerve cell,

injecting an ionized fluid through one barrel of the pipette,

and using a concentrated saline solution in the other tube as an electrical conductor to pick up and transmit back to an oscilloscope any change in neural activity

29
Q

What is Dale’s principle?

A

The idea that a neuron has only one neurotransmitter

Many peptide-containing neurons violate Dale’s principle because these cells usually release more than one neurotransmitter: an amino acid or amine and a peptide.

30
Q

What is the enzyme that converts Acetyl CoA + Choline to Acetylcholine?

A

Choline acetyletransferase (ChAT)

31
Q

What is the 4 step catecholamine synthesis from tyrosine to epinephrine

A
32
Q

What is the enzyme that converts tyrosine to L-dopa?

A

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)

33
Q

What is the enzyme that converts L-dopa to Dopamine?

A

Dopa decarboxylase

34
Q

What enzyme converts dopamine (DA) to norepinephrine (NE)?

A

Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH)

35
Q

What enzyme converts norepinephrine (NE) to Epinephrine?

A

Phentolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT)

36
Q

What is the 2 step enzymatic sequence synthesising serotonin from tryptophan?

A
37
Q

What enzyme converts tryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptophan?

A

Tryptophan hydroxylase

38
Q

What enzyme converts 5-HTP to serotonin?

A

5-HTP decarboxylase

39
Q

What is the chemical compound name for serotonin?

A

5-hydroxytryptamine

40
Q

What are the 3 amino acid neurotransmitters?

A
  1. Glycine
  2. GABA
  3. Glutamate
41
Q

What is The basic mode of operation of G-proteins

A

(a) In its inactive state, the 􏰊 subunit of the G-protein binds GDP.

(b) When activated by a G-protein-coupled receptor, the GDP is exchanged for GTP.

(c) The activated G-protein splits, and both the G􏰊 (GTP) subunit and the G􏰈􏰌 subunit become available to activate effector proteins.

(d) The G􏰊 subunit slowly removes phosphate (PO4) from GTP, con- verting GTP to GDP and terminating its own activity.

42
Q

What to protein kinases do?

A

transfer phosphate from ATP to proteins

called phosphorylation.

43
Q

What enzymes remove phosphate groups within second messenger groups?

A

Protein phosphatases

44
Q

What is the most excitatory neutransmitter in the brain?

A

Glutamate

45
Q

What is the most inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain?

A

GABA

46
Q

What is neurotransmitter divegerence?

A

when the neuron fires, the signal is sent to many other neurons (divergence).

47
Q

What is convergence?

A

where one neuron is influenced by many others (convergence)