Signal Transduction
Mechanisms
Chemical Messengers and
Receptors
Cell Signals
 What kinds of environmental factors do
cells respond to?
Chemical Signals
 What is the difference between hormones and
parcrine factors?
Signal Transduction
 What elements are involved in cell signaling?
Signal Transduction
 What is the difference between a
hydrophilic and a hydrophobic
messenger?
 What kinds of substances fall into each of
these categories?
Signal Transduction
 What exactly do we mean by signal
transduction?
Signal Transduction
 What is true about the attachment
between ligand and receptor?
 What is meant by receptor affinity?
 What is Kd?
Signal Transduction
 What is meant by receptor down
regulation?
 Why is a knowledge of receptor function
so important?
G Protein-Linked
Receptors
 What is a G protein?
 What does this type of receptor look like?
G Protein-Linked
Receptors
Structure of G Proteins
 Why are many G proteins considered
heterotrimeric?
Activation of G Proteins
G Proteins
 What are some of the effects of activated
G proteins?
Cyclic AMP & G Proteins
Cyclic AMP
Cyclic AMP
 How does c-AMP act
as a second
messenger in the
cell?
Cyclic AMP
 What are some of the observed effects of
c-AMP in cells?
Cyclic AMP
 What do the organisms that cause
cholera and pertusis have in common?
G Proteins
 Besides c-AMP what other second
messengers depend upon G proteins?
G Proteins
 How is inositol
triphosphate and
diacylglycerol
formed?
G Proteins
Inositol Triphosphate &
Diacylglycerol
 What cell functions are regulated by these
second messengers?
Calcium Ions
 How is the Ca+2 concentration in cells
regulated?
Calcium Ions
 How do we know that Ca+2 are involved
in cell signaling mechanisms?
Calcium Ions
 How does Ca+2 exert its effects in the cell?
Calcium Ions
 What role does an
increase in Ca+2 play
in the development
of animals?
Calcium Ions
 What role does Ca+2 play in plant cell
function?
Calcium Ions
 How are G proteins involved in smooth muscle
relaxation?
Protein Kinase Associated
Receptors
 What do all of these receptors have in
common?
Tyrosine Kinase
Receptors
 What do we know
about the structure of
these receptors?
Tyrosine Kinase
Receptors
 What are non-receptor tyrosine kinases?
Tyrosine Kinase
Receptors
 What happens when
this receptor is
activated?
Tyrosine Kinase
Receptors
Growth Factors
 What are growth factors?
Growth Factors
Fibroblast Growth Factor
 What role does this growth factor play in
embryonic development?
TGF-β
 How does TGF-β differ from FGF?
Growth Factors
 What do these different pathways have in
common?
Growth Factors
 In what way is cancer related to growth
factors?
Hormones
 How do we differentiate an endocrine
from a paracrine hormone?
 between a paracrine hormone and a
growth factor?
Hormones
 What are some physiological functions
controlled by hormones?
Hormones
Adrenergic Hormones
 In general, how do these hormones affect
the body?
 What are some of the specific effects of
these hormones?
Adrenergic Hormones
 What kinds of receptors respond to these
hormones?
Adrenergic Hormones
 On what tissues do we find α receptors?
 β receptors?
Adrenergic Hormones
 What are some of the cell functions regulated
by epinephrine via the c-AMP pathway?
Adrenergic Hormones
 How specifically does epinephrine influence
the breakdown of glycogen?
Adrenergic Hormones
 In what way do the α and β receptors act
antagonistically?
 How are responses to hormones
coordinated?
Paracrine Hormones
 What does histamine do and why is it
important
Paracrine Hormones
 What role do prostaglandins play in blood clot
formation?
Cell Signaling and
Apoptosis
 How is apoptosis different from necrosis?
Cell Signaling and
Apoptosis
 How are caspases related to apoptosis?
Cell Signaling and
Apoptosis