Pharmacology Flashcards
Drug targets are usually?
Proteins
What do anti-acid drugs target?
Protons
Types of protein targets?
Receptors
Enzymes
Ion channels
Transporters
What is a ligand?
The endogenous molecule that binds to a receptors to illicit a response
Examples of ligands?
Neurotransmitters
Hormones
Growth factors
Cytokines
Metabolites
How do ligands cause a response?
Ligand binds receptor
Receptor activated
Signal transmitted from outside cell to inside cell
Signal relayed to effector proteins via signalling pathway
Effector mediates response
Signals can be relayed from a receptor via?
Protein kinases
GTP-binding proteins or G-proteins
Seconds messengers
Calcium ions
What do protein kinases do?
Add phosphate molecules to amino acids in proteins (protein phosphorylation)
Enzyme function can be regulated by addition or removal of a covalently bonded phosphate group
Two main types of protein kinases?
(a) serine/threonine kinases
(b) tyrosine kinases
How does protein phosphorylation change protein shape?
Each phosphate group carries a 2- charge
Binding to an amino acid causes surround positively charged amino acids to move closer causing a conformational change to the proteins shape
How can phosphorylation affect proteins?
1) change to activity- can affect binding of ligands to proteins, change in shape can effect intrinsic activity
2) mask binding sites- disrupting protein-protein interactions
Picture of the protein kinase cascade
What activity to G-proteins have?
GTPase activity
What is GTPase activity?
An enzymatic activity able to hydrolyse GTP to GDP
What can G-proteins bind?
GTP
GDP
How to tell if G-protein is active or inactive?
Active if bound to GTP
Inactive if bound to GDP
What are second messengers?
Small molecules and ions that relay signals received by cell-surface receptors to effector proteins
Examples of second messengers?
Cyclic AMP (synthesised from ATP by adenylyl cyclase)
Cyclic GMP (synthesised from the nucleotide GTP using guanylyl cyclase)
Nitric oxide
Calcium
Four major classes of receptors?
G Protein-couples receptors (GPCR)(metabotropic)
Ligand gated ion channels (ionotropic)
Enzyme-linked receptors
Nuclear receptors
What is a G protein-coupled receptor?
Ligand binding to receptor activates a G-protein which then activates or inhibits an enzyme or ion channel
What is a ligand gated ion channel?
Ligand binding to ion channel causes it to open or close. Conformation change takes place
What are enzyme-linked receptors?
Ligand binding to the receptor activates the intrinsic enzymes activity of the receptor or associated enzyme. Conformation change takes place
What are nuclear receptors?
Intracellular receptors. Ligand binding activates the receptor which then acts as a transcription factor to alter gene expression
What is steady state?
When the rate the drug enters the plasma is equal to its clearance from plasma