Cell Signaling and Cancer Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about cell signaling and cancer.

Endocrine Signaling

Signaling between cells where the signaling cell releases hormones that travel through the bloodstream to target cells.

Paracrine Signaling

Signaling between cells where the signaling cell releases local mediators that affect nearby target cells.

Neuronal Signaling

Signaling between cells where a nerve cell communicates with a target cell (neuron, muscle, or gland) via neurotransmitters across a synapse.

Contact-Dependent Signaling

Signaling between cells that requires direct physical contact between the signaling cell and the target cell, mediated by a transmembrane signal molecule.

Ion-channel-coupled receptors

Cell surface receptors that open or close in response to the binding of specific signaling molecules, allowing ions to flow across the cell membrane.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)

Cell surface receptors that activate intracellular G proteins upon binding of a signaling molecule, initiating a signaling cascade.

Enzyme-coupled receptors

Cell surface receptors that either have intrinsic enzyme activity or associate directly with enzymes inside the cell, which are activated upon ligand binding.

Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs)

A class of enzyme-coupled receptors that phosphorylate tyrosine residues on intracellular signaling proteins.

Ras GTPase

A small monomeric GTPase that is activated by RTKs and stimulates downstream signaling pathways, often involving kinases.

Kinase

An enzyme that adds a phosphate group to another molecule (the substrate).

Protein Kinase

An enzyme that phosphorylates a protein.

Lipid Kinase

An enzyme that phosphorylates a lipid.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase)

A lipid kinase that phosphorylates inositol phospholipids in the plasma membrane, creating docking sites for intracellular signaling proteins.

Akt

A serine/threonine protein kinase that is activated by PI 3-kinase signaling and promotes cell survival.

PTEN

The phosphatase that dephosphorylates PIP3, generated by PI3K

Serine/threonine Protein Kinase

Type of enzyme that transfers the terminal phosphate group of ATP onto the –OH group on serine, threonine and tyrosine residues on another protein.

Cancer

A condition where normal cells become abnormal and divide uncontrollably.

Capivasertib

A drug that targets deregulated proteins in cancer cells, such as those in the RTK/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.