Pathways Flashcards
Somatic NS
always cholinergic – Acetyl Choline released from efferent motor neurone nerve terminals when reach muscle, binds to nicotinic acetyl choline receptor
- Sodium influx > depolarisation > AP
Sympathetic NS
= 2 nerves
Preganglionic – Ach > Nicotinic Ach (binds to Ach on next neurone)
Postganglionic – Ganglia to organ (short) – releases noradrenaline – binds to adrenoreceptor
B1 = Heart / B2 = Lungs
M2 = Heart (Gai) relaxes – rest/digest
M3 = Bladder (Gaq) contraction
Metabotropic receptors
- Agonist binds to serpentine receptor (spans 7x)
- G-proteins (GTPases) break GTP to GDP
- Heterometric = 3 subunits
Gas
Stimulatory – CAMP dependent stimulus (production of CAMP by AC activation)
Gai
Inhibitory – Inhibits AC
Gaq
signals through activation of phospholipase C – activates protein kinase C
Gao
Other – directly stimulates/inhibits ligand gated ion channels by activating K+ channels (hard to generate AP
Micturition
Peeing is parasympathetic:
- Muscurinic Ach M3 = contracts bladder detrusor muscle/relaxes internal sphincter
Sympathetic= to prevent peeing:
- B2/B3 relax detrusor muscle/internal sphincter constricts
Neuromuscular junction
- AP travels down motor neurone (depolarisation of membrane)
- Na+ channels open allowing Na+ influx = depolarise membrane – opens Ca+ channel
- Ca+ floods into cell leading to vescicle trafficking of Ach
- Ach fuses with plasma membrane – releases Ach into synaptic cleft
- Ach binds to Nicotinic Ach receptors
- Binding causes Na+ influx – localised change in membrane polarity (mini endplate potential) – depolarisation across muscle
- Opens voltage gated ion channels – Na+ influx starts muscle contraction
Neuromuscular junction – reuptake mechanism
- AchE (acetyl choline esterase) breaks down Ach in cleft > choline + acetate
- Choline transported back up with co-transporter sodium where its repackaged into vesicles receiving an acetate from the acetyl co-enzyme A
- Cycle starts again
Contraction
- End plate potential (AP) from NMJ travels down sarcolemma into T-tubule – depolarises membrane – triggers L-type channel opening = forces RyR open
- Calcium induced calcium release – it’s the Calcium that forces RyR open
- As it flows through – binds to Troponin C in sarcomere on thin filament = contraction
Contraction steps
- ADP +Pi bound to myosin head
- Ca2+ binds to Troponin C
- Conformational change in thin filament switches filament on
- Myosin cross bridges form – myosin bind sites on actin
- Power stroke (pushes actin to centre of M line on sarcomere)
- Release ADP + Pi
- Myosin – ATPase binds ATP
- Cross-bridge (myosin head) detaches from actin
- ATP hydrolyses and myosin head cocks
Ischaemic cascade: (stroke)
- Low O2 (due to thrombus) - reduced ATP production
- ROS generation + Ca+ release = unhappy mitochondria (produces lactate)
- ATP reliant pumps fail, and cell becomes depolarised allowing calcium to flood in
- Excess calcium = increased glutamate = increased calcium = oxidative stress
- Excess Ca+ generates free radicals, ROS and apoptotic cells = cell death
- Release of tissue factor from cell death = blood clotting
- Overall leads to much larger lesions in brain
- Cerebral oedema (excess accumulation of fluid) occurs due to the leakage of the blood brain barrier
Reperfusion
- O2 returns, ATP SERCA starts
- ROS generated damages membranes (ER)
- Calcium overload of mitochondria and ER
- MPTP opens sodium – calcium exchanger NCX reverses
- Endothelial dysfunction
- Haemostasis/prothrombotic
- Pro-inflammatory cytokines released
Clotting cascade
- Intrinsic pathway: Each factor in cascade catalyses the next into active form (12 catalyses 11-11a)
- Extrinsic pathway: 10 activated by activated 7 which is activated by 3 (Tissue factor)
- Fibrinogen in blood as cant clot just anywhere (changes to fibrin – acts as mesh catching platelets)
Fibrinolysis
- tPa (serine protease) released in endothelium
- tPa activates plasminogen – makes plasmin
- Plasmin digests proteins creating clots
- During strokes = given recombinant proteins that act like tPa – break down clots
- Given anti-coagulants = inhibit coagulation (Herapin)
Traditional cloning steps
- Vector
- Preparation
- Insert preparation
- Ligation
- Transformation
- Colony screening
Non-pacemaker cardiac action potential
- Rapid depolarisation due to opening of fast Na+ channels (0)
- Initial repolarisation caused by opening of K+ channels (1)
- Inward Ca2+ movement through L-type channels (slow) which open when membrane reaches -40mV
- Plateau phase due to delayed repolarisation (2)
- Repolarisation – when K+ channels open and closure of Ca2+ channels open K+ channels (4)
Pacemaker cardiac action potential
- Spontaneous depolarisation (pacemaker potential) caused by funny currents. T-type ca2+ opens. K+ channels close (4)
- Depolarisation of AP caused by increased Ca2+ conductance through L-type channels. T-type channels close (0)
- Repolarisation of the AP as K+ channels open and Ca2+ close. Hyperpolarisation reached. Na+ ions open, initiating phase 4 – also called funny currents or If (3)
Penetrance
Probability that a person carrying a disease-associated genotype will develop the disease within a given time period
• Number of individuals displaying symptoms, divided by the number of individuals with a disease-causing mutation X 100
Mechanism of antibiotics
- Inhibition of cell wall synthesis (most common mechanism)
- Inhibition of protein synthesis (translation – second largest class)
- Alteration of cell membranes
- Inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis
- Anti-metabolite activity
JAK/STAT signalling
STAT = always present in cytoplasm waiting to be activated by JAK JAK = Activation stimulates – cell proliferation, cell differentiation, cell migration, apoptosis
JAK/STAT signalling: • Ligand binds (cytokine) • Receptor dimerization activates JAK phosphorylation of receptor • STAT binds to phosphorylated receptor • JAK phosphorylates STAT • STAT dimer forms • STAT dimer travels to nucleus • STAT dimer binds DNA and changes gene expression
NF-KB pathway
- Ligand binds to the cell receptor on the cell surface membrane causing conformational change
- This phosphorylates iKK activating it
- iKK phosphorylates iKB
- iKBis tagged with ubiquitin and sent to the proteasome to be degraded
- iKB dissociates from NF-KB
- NF-KB translocates to the nucleus where it starts transcription
- When negative feedback occurs – iKBa is transcribed and inhibits NF-KB
Phagocytosis Steps
- Phagocytes extend their membrane round the microbe
- Forms a phagocytic vacuole
- Microbe then exposed to lysosomal-independent killing mechanism
- The phagosome may also fuse with a lysosome, forming a phagolysosome
- The microbe is then exposed to lysosomal-dependent killing mechanisms