Chapter 10 - Cell Communication and Signaling 

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• Biological systems communicate with one another, share information about their surroundings, and respond to that information.

  • Life frequently hinges on being able to react swiftly to changing external situations.
  • Autocrine signaling occurs when a cell secretes a ligand.
  • %%This ligand then attaches to a receptor on the cell that secreted the ligand, causing that cell to respond.%%
  • Because the root word auto means "self," this mechanism may be viewed as a cell signaling itself to produce a response.
  • A cancer cell, for example, creates its own growth hormones (the ligands) that drive the cancer cell to expand and divide. uxtacrine signaling.
  • This type of signaling relies on direct contact between the cell that sends the ligand and the cell that receives and responds.

• Signal transduction governs how a cell responds internally to an external signal.

  • Signal transduction is required for important activities such as gene expression, cell growth and division, and hormone release.
  • A chemical message or ligand is used to initiate signal transduction.
  • Ligands interact with specific target cells, which respond to the ligand's presence.
  • Hydrophilic and hydrophobic ligands are both possible.
  • Hydrophilic ligands cannot pass the cell membrane's phospholipid bilayer and enter the cell.
  • As a result, hydrophilic ligands interact with cell membrane receptors (cell membrane receptors).
  • ^^Some animals and moths, for example, emit hormones called pheromones into the air to help them identify and attract partners across vast distances.^^
  • Endocrine signaling.
  • Some ligands have a large travel distance.

• Endocrine signaling occurs when ligands traverse a considerable distance between sending and receiving cells.

  • Hormones are long-distance traveling ligands.
  • %%Insulin, a hormone generated and released by the pancreas, travels through the circulatory system to activate reactions in cells throughout the body.%%
  • The ligand binds to a particular receptor on or within the target cell.
  • The receptor might be found on the cell membrane (as with hydrophilic ligands) or in the target cell's cytoplasm (as is the case for hydrophobic ligands).

• Ligand-specific binding domains are found in receptors.

  • If a cell lacks the receptor for a certain ligand, the cell will not react to that ligand.
  • @@When the ligand binds to the receptor, it experiences a conformational (shape) change, which initiates the next stage in the process on the interior of the cell.@@
  • G-protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases are examples of receptors.

• The set of chemical events that mediate the detection and processing of inputs is referred to as a signal transduction pathway.

  • Disruptions in signal transduction pathways can have far-reaching consequences for cells.
  • Because receptors are ligand-specific, a mutation in a gene that codes for a receptor protein might result in a change in the structure of the receptor, causing it to no longer bind to its specific ligand.
  • The cell with the altered receptor protein would not function if it did not have a functioning receptor for the ligand.

• Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), in which the testosterone receptor is nonfunctional in gonadal tissue (leading it not to produce gonads), is one example of a condition induced by mutations in receptor proteins.

  • When chemicals in the environment interfere with a ligand's capacity to connect to its receptor, signal transduction pathways can be interrupted.
  • The cholera toxin, for example, attaches to G-protein-coupled receptors in the cell membrane, causing disturbances in a cell signaling cascade that can result in life-threatening dehydration.
  • ^^Mutations in the adenylyl cyclase gene can impair a cell's capacity to create the secondary messenger cAMP, affecting all steps in the signal transduction pathway that rely on that messenger.^^

• A disruption in any phase of the signal transduction process will damage not just that step, but also any later steps in the process that rely on the results of the prior steps.

  • Feedback mechanisms are vital to living organisms because they allow them to adapt to changes in their surroundings while maintaining the internal environment of the cell.
  • In feedback systems, cell communication and signaling are critical.

• %%Negative feedback restores a system to its initial state and aids in the maintenance of homeostasis (the maintenance of a stable state).%%

  • For example, if the body temperature rises too high, cell signaling pathways cause skin cells to produce perspiration, which cools the body and aids in its return to normal body temperature.
  • The regulation of blood glucose levels by insulin and glucagon is another example of negative feedback.
  • If blood sugar levels become too high after a sweet snack, the pancreas produces the ligand (hormone) insulin, which encourages body cells to absorb glucose from the blood, restoring blood glucose levels to normal.
  • If blood sugar levels go too low, the pancreas secretes the ligand (hormone) glucagon, which encourages liver cells to break down glycogen into glucose, resulting in the release of glucose.

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