Week 1 Flashcards
What system consists of ductless endocrine glands that occur at numerous locations in the body?
Endocrine system
In the endocrine system - how is communication between glands and other tissues achieved?
By secretion of a hormone into blood stream and transport to a target site
Name three things that the endocrine system regulates?
- Nutrient metabolism
- H2O and electrolyte balance
- Red blood cell production
What stress hormone is long term and what is short term?
Long term - cortisol
Short term - Adrenaline
What are the three main classes of hormones?
- Glycoproteins and peptides
- Steroids - derived from cholsterol
- Tyrosine and tryptophan derivatives
Give two hormones in the protein and peptide class?
Oxytocin
Insulin
What is tyrosine enzymatically converted to?
Adrenaline
How are amines transported in plasma?
Freely - they are hydrophilic
What are peptides and proteins pre-synthesised from?
Longer precursor
With steroids - what is cholesterol converted to?
Pregnenolone - rate limiting step
How are steroids transported in the plasma?
Mainly bound to plasma proteins - hydrophobic
Are steroids and thyroxine soluble or insoluble in plasma?
Insoluble
Give two roles of carrier proteins?
- Increase amount transported in blood
2. Prevent rapid excretion by preventing filtration at kidneys
What does sex steroid-binding globulin bind to?
Testosterone and estradiol
What does albumin bind to?
Steroids and thyroxine
What does transthyretin bind to?
Thyroxine and some steroids
What helps to maintain a constant concentration of free lipophilic hormone in the blood?
Carrier proteins
Are free and bound hormones in equilibrium?
Yes`
What is the primary determinant of plasma concentration?
Rate of secretion
What does ‘tropic’ refer to?
A hormone that acts upon another endocrine gland to regulate its secretion of hormone
What secretes corticotropinreleasing hormone?
Hypothalamus
What does CTRH target which then releases Adrenocorticotropic hormone?
Anterior pituitary
What does ACTH act on which then secretes cortisol?
Adrenal cortex
Hormone receptors exist as three structurally and funtionally distinct types - name the two cell surface receptors and the one intracellualr receptor?
GPCR
Receptor kinases
nuclear receptors
What are class 1 nuclear receptors activated by?
Steroid hormones
What are class 2 nuclear receptors activated by?
Lipids
What are hybrid class nuclear receptors activated by?
Thyroid hormone
What type of receptor is this: binding of insulin causes autophosphorylation of intracellular tyrosine residues. recruitment of multiple adapter proteins, notibly IRS1, that are also tyrosine phosphorylated?
Receptor kinases
What are nuclear receptors?
Ligand-gated transcription factors
What four cells are in pancreatic islets - in order of most abundant first?
- Beta-cells
- Alpha-cells
- Gamma-cells
- PP cells