Unit 4 Flashcards
What is critical for the function and survival of cells?
cell to cell communication
What is cell to cell communication responsible for?
growth and development of multicellular organisms
What are the three general ways cells communicate?
1) direct contact
2) local signaling
3) long distance signaling
What is direct contact?
communication through cell junctions
How do animal cells use direct contact?
gap junctions
How do plant cells use direct contact?
plasmodesmata
What can pass freely between adjacent cells?
signaling substances and other material dissolved in the cytoplasm
What are local regulators?
chemical messengers (local regulator/ligands) that travel short distance through the exocellular fluid
What do chemical messages cause?
a response in a target cell
What are examples of local regulators?
paracrine signaling & synaptic signaling
What is paracrine signaling?
secretory cells release local regulator via exocytosis to an adjacent cell
What is synaptic signaling?
occurs in animal nervous systems; neurons secrete neurotransmitters (these diffuse across the synaptic cleft)
What is synaptic cleft?
space between the nerve cell & target cell
What do animals and plants use for long distance signaling?
hormones
How do plants use long distance signaling?
release hormones that travel in the plant vascular tissue (xylem & phloem) or through the air to reach target tissues
How do animals use long distance signaling?
use endocrine signaling ; specialized cells release hormones into the circulatory system where they reach target cells
What type of communication involves a cell secreting a substance to an adjacent target cell?
paracrine signaling
What structures do plant cells use in direct contact to diffuse substances?
plasmodesmata
What three stages can cell to cell messages be divided into?
Reception, Transduction, Response
What is reception (stage 1)?
the detection and receiving of a ligand by a receptor in the target cell
What is a receptor?
macromolecule that binds to a signal molecule (ligand)
How specific is the binding between ligand and receptors?
highly specific
What happens to the receptor when a ligand binds to it?
receptor activates
What causes the receptor to activate?
conformational change
What does activation allow the receptor to do?
allows the receptor to interact with other cellular molecules
What does interaction with other cellular molecules initiate?
transduction signal
Where can receptors be found?
in the plasma membrane or intracellular
What is the most common type of receptor involved in signal pathways?
plasma membrane receptors
What kind of ligands do plasma membrane receptors bind to?
polar, water soluble, large
What are examples of plasma membrane receptors?
- G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)
- ligand gated ion channels
Where are intracellular receptors found?
in the cytoplasm or nucleus of target cells
What kind of ligands do intracellular receptors bind to?
ligands that can pass through the plasma membrane
What is an example of intracellular receptors?
- hydrophobic molecules
( steriod + thyroid hormones, gases like nitric oxide)
What is transduction?
the conversion of an extracellular signal to an intracellular signal that will bring about a cellular response
What does transduction require?
a sequence of changes in a series of molecules known as a signal transduction pathway
What is a signal transduction pathway?
a sequence of changes in a series of molecules
What does the signal transduction pathway regulate?
protein activity
How does the signal transduction pathway regulate protein activity?
- phosphorylation by the enzyme protein kinase (relays signal inside cell)
- dephosphorylation by the enzyme protein phosphatase (shuts off pathways)
What happens to signals during transduction?
it is amplified
What are second messengers?
small, non protein molecules and ions help relay the message and amplify the response
What is an example of a second messenger?
cyclic AMP (cAMP)
What does it mean if there is a change in shape?
a change in function
What happens during response (stage 3)?
the final molecule in the signaling pathway converts the signal to a response that will alter a cellular response
What are three examples of response?
- protein that can alter membrane permeability
- enzyme that will change a metabolic process
- protein that turns genes on or off
What are the three stages of cell signaling?
reception, transduction, response
What is the actual signal being transduced in a signal transduction pathway?
a ligand
How is a signal passed from outside to inside the cell?
through transduction; during transduction the signal is relayed by protein kinases and amplified by second messengers
What can signal transduction pathways influence?
how a cell responds to its environment
What can signal transduction pathways result in?
gene expression + cell function
( can alter phenotype or result in cell death)
What causes a change to the transduction of the signal?
mutations to receptor proteins or to any component of the signaling pathway
What are the three main ways that cells communicate?
direct contact, local signaling, long distance signaling
What does it mean when ligand receptor binding is highly specific?
- all receptors have an area that interacts with a ligand and only ligands specific to the receptors can bind to these areas, meaning not every ligand can bind to a receptor
What is the difference between direct contact communication in animal cells and plant cell?
- animal cells use gab junctions
- plant cells use plasmodesmata
What happens in the first stage of cell signaling?
a ligand binds to a receptor which can either be in the plasma membrane or intracellular
What happens in the second stage of cell signaling?
the signal is converted and it will bring about a cellular response
What is protein kinase?
an enzyme that relays signals inside of the cell ; it does this by phosphorylating various molecules
What is protein Phosphatase?
an enzyme that can shut off signaling pathways by dephorylating molecules
What happens in the third stage of cell signaling?
the final molecule in the signaling pathway will convert the signal to a response that will alter a cellular process
What are the two main categories of cell membrane receptors in eukaryotic organisms?
- G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)
- Ion Channels
What is the largest category in cell surface receptors?
G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)
What type of system are G protein coupled receptors (GCPRs) important in?
animal sensory systems
What do G protein coupled receptors (GCPRs) bind to?
binds to a G protein that can bind to GTP, which is an energy molecule similar to ATP
When do the GPCR, enzyme, and G protein become active?
when ligand binding to GPCR on the extracellular side takes place
What does ligand binding cause in GPCRs?
the cytomasmic (inside) side to change shape
What happens when the G protein binds to the GPCR?
activates the GCPR and the G protein, which causes GDP to become GTP
What does a shape change to the cytomasmic (inside) side allow?
the G protein to bind to GPCR
What happens when part of the activated G protein binds to the enzyme?
- activates enzyme
- amplifies signal and leads to a cellular response
Where are ligand gated ion channels located?
in the plasma membrane
What system are ligand gated ion channels important in?
nervous system
What happens in ligand gated ion channels?
- receptors act as a gate for ions
- when a ligand binds to the receptor, the gate opens or closes allowing the diffusion of specific ions
What can ligand gated ion channels initiate?
a series of events that lead to a cellular response
What must the body be able to monitor at all times?
internal conditions
What are set points?
values for various physiological conditions that the body tries to maintain
(ex. the set point for your body temp is 98.6 degrees F)
What is homeostasis?
the state of relatively stable internal conditions
( think : balance)
How does the body maintain homeostasis?
through feedback loops
What are the two types of feedback loops?
negative & positive
What is a stimulus?
a variable that will cause a response