Signal Transduction Flashcards
cell surface v intracellular receptors
cell surface most common
ligand does not enter cell
signal transduction inside cell from PM receptor
intracellular
more evolutionarily ancient
singal molecules diffues through PM freely
receptor located intracellularly (often in cytoplasm or nucleus)
activated receptor complex
intracellular signals
DNA damage
noxious chemicals
^^can be produced by radiation
monitored by cell
also:
-pH
-O2 conc
-cAMP conc
-ATP conc
in these cases call them sensors usually instead of receptors
Juxtacrine signalling
v close range
neighbours contacting neighbours
-ligand expressed on one cell
-receptor on neighbour
-signal not soluble but is displayed on cell surface
eg delta/notch
Paracrine signalling
Mid range
mediated by proteins
typically growth factors
protein secreted by one cell type
diffuse short distance in organ/tissue
recevied by other cells surface receptors
can be diff cell type
or same one (autocrine signalling)
Endocrine
Hormones eg
requires a carrier of the signal (eg blood)
gland secretes soluble hormones
one molecule can carry many different messages to many diff cell types in body
Synaptic signalling
between neurons
requires direct interaction like juxtacrine
but neuron cells grow v long axons
has reach of endocrine
relies on diffusible signals
but only through the synaptic cleft
signal reception by different cell types
same signal molecule can be decoded into different signals depending on cell context
different transduction of same signalling molecule
something to do w second messengers
signal integration and cellular decision making
the action a specific cell takes depends on integration of the combo of many signals it experiences
mammal cells need to receive survival signal to not apoptose
in addition to this
cell receives other signals which sould affect its decision to re-enter into cell cyce/divide or differentiate
Need for signal transduction
Decisions made in nucleus where gene expression changed, affecting protein production etc…
signal comes form outside
need to transduce signal binding receptor to effect in nucleus
fast v slow cellular responses
slow:
by altering gene expression
signal from outside
transduction into nucleus
affects gene expression
-minutes to hours
>5mins response = slow response
fast:
many things can happen by bypassing nucleus/gene expression
-fast decision making with no time available to activate genes, synthesise proteins: eg chemotaxis
-signal alters function of already present proteins instead of changing expression to make new ones
-seconds to minutes
mechanisms of intracellular signal transduction
signal transduction is achieved via:
-reversible signal-dependent modulation of protein-protein interaction networks within cells
protein-protein direct contact to make complex
complex makes response
often involves going to nucleus (slow)
responses that need to be quicker than gene expression
usually done through post-translational modification
-acetylation
-phosphorylation (inc. autophosphorylation)
-addition of proteins (ubiquitin, SUMO…)
second messengers
secondary signal released all around inside cell
eg cAMP cascade
Allosteric regulation
basis of signal transduction
proteins large structures w many domains/conformations
functional domains (enzymatic, protein interaction sites)
and regulatory domains - where signal is received
many proteins found in autoinhibition state where they are in conformation that obscures the functional domain
allosteric regulation - something interacts with regulatory domain
protein changes conformation in response
-as a result the functional domain is allowed to become available for its function
allosteric regulation - cAMP and Epac
Epac active conformation:
functional domain can interact w small GTPases
regulatory domain can swing like door
blocks functional domain
cAMP binds the regulatory region
caused protein to swing open
leaving functional domain open to interact w small GTPase target
Phosphorylation and protein state
addition of Pi from an ATP molecule
ATP->ADP + Pi
Pi usually added to OH group
by kinases
reverse does not require energy
hydrolysed off target by Phosphatases
Phosphorylation can result in allosteric regulation
-changes electric charge of protein (as Pi can carry btwn 2-4 -ve charges)
if ionic interaction is what keeps the conformation the way it is
can interrupt that by phosphorylating residue here
neutralise +ve charge
releases functional domain
protein kinases types
tyrosine kinases
-specifically phosphorylate OH on tyrosine
serine/threonine kinases
-phosphorylate OH on serine and threonine
Protein kinase general structure
kinase domain
-tyrosine
-serine/threonine
has two lobes
-n terminal lobe
-c terminal lobe
-phosphorylation of residue in the cleft between the lobes
-have an activation loop that is phosphorylated on the specific residues
some kinases are constitutively active and so dont need phopshorylation on active loop
Domain organisation of proteins
all higher eukaryote proteins made of domains (not so much in bacteria - chromosome organisation - all one long ORF)
-individual exons can correspond to a domain (sometimes domain is multiple exons)
-3D folding is important - similar folding can result in similar domain activity, certain shapes correspond certain functions
kinases in humans and fungi look v similar
however regulatory domains differ more
domain shuffling
can lead to changes in proteins in evolution
by changing diff combos of domains
Protein-Protein interaction domains
SH2, PTB: interact with phosphorylated tyrosines
other domains recognsie phosphoryalted serines, threonines
some recognise methyl/acetylated residues - important in histone interactions
others to ubiquitination - important in protein regulaiton and degradation
SH2 domain
Src homology domain 2
binds phosphorylate tyrosines
most common eukaryotic domain
SH3 domain
also v common
binds PXXP motif
two prolines separated by 2 other AAs
-PXXP causes a kink in the protein - SH3 recognised this kink motif
PH domain
recognises highly negatively charged phosphoinositide ligands
bind these signalling lipids (PIP2, PIP3)
Src
protein that has SH3 and SH2 recognition domains
Scaffolds and adapters
proteins made up entirely of protein-protein interaction domains
adapter - binds one protein at one end and another at the other end
-bridges two proteins
scaffold:
-important for holding proteins together in reactions
eg assembling important signalling complex and tethering it to where it needs to be eg a calcium channel
-domain 3 binding Ca2+ channel
-domain 1 with PLC
-domain 2 with PKC kinase
-brings them all tohether at channel
-calcium enters through channel and activates PKC
>enriching necessary protein in pathway where they need to be
2 parts of a receptor
Discriminator domain
-tells what ligand it is
effector domain
-part which transduces the signal
-many divergent ways
transition btwn inactive and active frequently an example of allosteric regulation
(most?) receptors found in inactive conformation when no ligand present
if it is active without ligand then problems
antagonist mechanism
ligands which stabilise the inactive conformation
agonists
the actual signal
stabilises the receptor’s active conformation
Cell surface receptors activity
some have intrinsic enzymatic activity involved in signalling
the others that do not instead co-opt other proteins with enzymatic activity to signal
enzymatic activity through cell surface receptors
-large class of receptors that are coupled with G-protein
-receptor kinases, RKs:
>more ancient serine/threonine
>Receptor tyrosine kinases found in animals (higher eukaryotes)
receptors w/out enzymatic activity
many different types
no clear classification
-ion channel coupled receptors
-Adhesion (ECM) sensing (includes integrins)
Intracellular receptors
includes steroid hormone receptors.
Are often transcription factors
Intracellular receptors: bacterial transcription regulators
either:
-ligand activated
-ligand inhibited
Monomeric proteins consisting of two domains
-DNA motif recognition domain
-signal binding domain
Ligand activated bacterial TRs:
require ligand to dimerise from monomers in cytoplasm
-requires sufficient signalling molecule conc inside cell
-due to symmetric nature of dimer - needs to bind divergent identical sequences that are palindromic on the DNA
-can be activators or inhibitors of transcription
-need to bind ligand to dimerise
-need to dimerise to bind DNA
eg TraR: bacterial quorum sensing TF:
Ligand inhibited bacterial TRs
opposite of ligand activated ones
-structurally similar to activated ones
-DNA binding motif
-ligand binding motif
-form stable dimer in absence of ligand
eg TetR
Tetracycline binds receptor
dimer doesnt dissociate
but loses DNA affinity when bound to ligand
Intracellular receptors in humans
nuclear receptors
DNA binding motif
ligand binding motif
sense small molecules that penetrate membrane
-Steroid hormones:
>cortisol
>retinoic acid
>thyroxine
principle similar to bacteria
BUT can be Monomeric OR Dimeric
also can coopt a lot of coactivators and coinhibitors - form complexes w other TFs in eukaryotic nucleus
TGF beta pathway basic
Based on serine threonine receptor kinases
sense important growth horomones that are also important morphogens
TGF beta pathway signalling molecule
Large protein Dimer
2 identical subunits - antiparallel dimer
Class II cell surface receptor (TGF beta pathway stuff)
Class II:
Constitutively active TM kinases
-Recognise the antiparallel dimer ligand
-2 Type II receptors bind across the ligand
-now have affinity to recruit the Type I receptor
-enables protein-protein interaction btwn type I and II receptors
-Type II is constitutively active kinase that phosphorylates and activates Type I
Type I receptor signalling after phosphorylation by Type II/Ligand complex
Type I receptor is the Effector part of receptor complex
responsible for further signalling
SMADs
-recognise phosphorylated type I receptor
-the phosphorylation allows them to bind type I
-Type I phosphoryaltes SMAD on c terminal tail (2 serines)
-changes SMAD conformation, comes off receptor complex
SMAD signalling complexes
after phosphorylation by Type I receptor and coming off the receptor complex:
-3 SMADs to form signalling complex
-phosphorylation allows them to assemble
assemble into heterotrimer:
-2 SMADs
-1 CoSMAD
heterotrimer exposes on its surface a nuclear localisation signal
-imported
-in nucleus it can bind resident TFs and influence gene expression
nuclear negative regulation of SMAD signalling
phosphatases in the nucleus remove the phosphate from SMADs
individual SMAD monomers exported out of nucleus
this process of SMAD activation - nucleus - phosphatase - export cycles as long as there is signalling from receptor
phosphatase disassembles all the SMAD complexes eventually when signalling stops
Receptor endocytic dynamics
important factor in signalling
-receptors in eg class II system are clustered by binding the ligand
-this complex is endocytosed
by clathrin coated pits:
-pathway where complexes signal and receptors get recycled back to PM
-maintains sensitivity by continuously recycling receptors
by Caveolin pathway:
-receptors endocytosed
-go to degradation pathway
-cell can downregulate signalling by removing receptors into degradation pathway
-drops sensitivity to ligand (adaptation)
Receptor tyrosine kinases
evolutionarily novel
large extracellular domain involved in ligand sensing:
-discriminator
beneath membrane is kinase domain:
-tyrosine kinase
-C terminal tail has role in signalling
allosteric regulation in RTKs
though to not be present at first
idea that binding ligand brough kinase domains of two receptors close enough to cross-phosphorylate
but this is not true
even tho both kinases are identical
-one serves as allosteric regulator of other
-only one gets kinase activity activated
-then this Kinase phosphorylates BOTH c terminal tails to activate receptors
-Each pY on these tails is a binding slot for a protein with an SH2 domain
allows complex to grow and grow
creating almost a solid phase of protein underneath membrane that connect individual receptors through multivalent binders
Non-receptor tyrosine kinases
soluble cytoplasmic proteins
can still interact w PM
eg SFK - Src Family Kinases
viral protein co-opted for cellular use
Src domains
SH1: Tyrosine kinase domain
SH2: Binds phosphorylated Tyrosine
SH3: Binds PXXP kink strucrture
SH4: N-terminal lipidated fragment allowing binding to PM
Src activation
Tyrosine residue at C terminal domain
phosphorylated in inactive form
SH2 domain loops back to bind this
puts protein in “latched” closed conformation
closing in on itself inhibiting the phosphorylation
this c terminal phosphate needs to be removed to activate Src kinase activity
this allows protein to open up
SH2 and SH3 domains can also find external ligands now (SH2 - pY, SH2 - PXXP)
complex stage wise activation process which eventually leads to phosphorylation at activation loop of kinase
Src plays big role in signalling of many receptors
Src inactivation
Phosphorylate C terminal tail
dephosphorylate activation loop
let molecule fold back in on itself and diffuse back into cytoplasm
activity of proteins in RTK downstream signalling complexes
Src kinase
-SH2 and SH3 domains
-recognise pY in on RTK and contribute to phosphorylating other proteins in vicinity
ZAP70
-similar organisation kinase
-2 SH2 domains, can bind 2 pY residues
-carries tyrosine kinase so can contribute to making more pY in the complex
Grb2
-scaffold
-has SH2 and SH3 domains
PI3 kinase:
-lipid kinase
-generates PIP3 - a second messenger (adds another phosphate to PIP2
PI3 kinase
lipid kinase
generates PIP3 second messenger from PIP2
is a complex of 2 diff proteins
>P110 -catalytic
>P85 - regulatorty
if this complex is not bound to pY then the regulatory subunit inhibits the caralytic one
inhibited conformation
2 SH2 domains - binding pY on c terminal tails of RTK: de inhibits the catalytic subunit
can start generating PIP3 lipid
connects RTK signalling to 2nd messenger PIP3 generation
Signalling complexes in receptors without enzymatic activity
eg cytokine receptors (erythropoietin receptor eg)
looks similar to RTK
-EC discriminator
-TM region
-C terminal tail that can be phosphorylated
1st part of complex activation is different
requires specific class of non-receptor TKs that recognise active bound receptors (allosteric regulation :0)
These kinases are JAKs
recognise active receptor
bind it
they themselves are allosterically activated by this
then similar to RTK
activated JAKs can phosphorylate C-terminal tails
generate lots of pY
proteins eg Src can bind