Chemical Signaling

Flashcards on chemical signaling.

Chemical Signaling

The process by which cells communicate with each other using chemicals.

Neurons

Nerve cells that communicate with each other and other cells in the body.

Messaging Substance

Chemicals are always used as a a messaging substance, sort of like a letter.

Hodgepodge

Cell to cell communication.

Direct or Indirect Pathway

Reaching chemical messenger or a signaling molecule, reach the intended cell for communication through a direct pathway or an indirect pathway.

Direct Pathway

The chemical signal or messenger molecule will literally flow from one cell to another.

Indirect Pathway

The chemical signal molecule will be secreted or released from the cell that's doing the talking.

ECF

Extracellular fluid, outside and surrounding the cell.

Gap Junctions

Cells must physically connect to one another by protein structures.

Pore

The middle of the gap junction is this pore, kind of like a tunnel spanning the length of the gap junction, and that basically creates a passageway that opens up one cell to another cell.

Connecton

Multiple proteins form a ring.

Secretory Cell

The cell that's doing the talking in indirect communication.

Receptor Molecule

What makes a target cell able to receive a communication through the indirect mechanism is by possessing the right kind of what's.

Binding Site

The message must successfully bind to a binding site on the receptor, Once successful binding has occurred, that's going to change the shape.

Activate Receptor

Binding of the messenger transforms the receptor into an active state.

Specificity

This is kind of a general rule for receptors across the board we have literally hundreds and hundreds of different types of messenger chemical molecules in the body.

Activated State

As long as a messenger remains bound to a receptor, that's gonna keep the receptor in an activated state.

Enzymatic Breakdown

The most common way is to use an enzyme to break down the messenger.

Synaptic Cleft

The space separating the neuron from the cell it's talking to.

Postsynaptic Cell

The cell on the opposing end of the axon terminal.

ACH

Stands for acetylcholine.

Three Methods of Control

The body uses three different methods, humoral control, neural control, and hormonal control.

Humoral

Pertaining to a humor basically means a body fluid.

Humoral Control

A substance like a chemical dissolved in the extracellular fluids, and this is acting influence a certain chemical signal released from the secretory cell.

Neural Control

A neuron is telling the secretory cell what to do.

Hormonal Control

A hormone is telling the secretory cell what to do.

SNS

Sympathetic Nervous System. Neurons form synapses or connections with, the medulla.

Different Patterns of Secretion

Describes the ways that different chemical signals may fluctuate in body fluids as their secretion goes up and goes down.

Chronic

Basically means it doesn't change very much over time.

Acute

Means that it rises and falls normally, relatively quickly.

Cyclic

Means it rises and falls in a fairly predictable pattern over time.

Chemical Signal

Steady maintenance of the level

Set Point

You can sort of imagine a midline that these waves are hovering around.

Acute Regulation

They respond to a particular stimulus or change in the body and are secreted to, make a correction for that stimulus or respond to that stimulus.