137 Hormones As Signaling Molecules Hormones Are Chemical Messengers That Enable Communication Between Cells in Different Parts of the Body
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1/27/2015 Hormones as Signaling Molecules | Principles of Biology from Nature Education contents Principles of Biology 137 Hormones as Signaling Molecules Hormones are chemical messengers that enable communication between cells in different parts of the body. A blacktailed prairie dog consumes a meal. As this blacktailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) consumes its meal, hormones regulate digestion and blood glucose levels. Millard H. Sharp/Science Source. Topics Covered in this Module Intercellular Signaling Pheromones are Chemical Signals Transmitted Between Individuals of the Same Species. Transmission of Hormonal Signals Signal Transduction by Steroid Hormones Major Objectives of this Module Compare the five types of intercellular signaling. Explain how pheromones enable communication between individuals. Describe how watersoluble and lipidsoluble hormones transmit signals. page 697 of 989 6 pages left in this module http://www.nature.com/principles/ebooks/principlesofbiology104015/29145721 1/1 1/27/2015 Hormones as Signaling Molecules | Principles of Biology from Nature Education contents Principles of Biology 137 Hormones as Signaling Molecules Intercellular Signaling Cells must be able to communicate so that an animal can respond to its environment and carry out normal physiological functions. Mechanisms of intercellular communication can be divided into five broad categories based on how the signal is transmitted and the distance it travels. Autocrine signaling. In autocrine signaling, a cell responds to a chemical signal that it secretes, often to amplify or maintain a physiological response. The chemical signaling molecule, called a local regulator, only acts a short distance from where it is secreted. Autocrine signaling is involved in differentiation of T cells of the adaptive immune system. When a T cell binds antigen associated with major histocompatibility complex, it secretes a local regulator called interleukin2 (IL2). IL2 binds an IL2 receptor present on the T cell, causing it to undergo clonal expansion. During clonal expansion, the T cell divides and differentiates. Paracrine signaling. Paracrine signaling elicits responses in cells close to the signaling cell. Like autocrine signaling, paracrine signaling is mediated by local regulators. Paracrine signaling plays a key role in embryonic development because local regulators are used to mediate limb development. Because local regulators act over a short distance, limb development occurs only in specific regions of the body. Endocrine signaling. In endocrine signaling, a chemical called a hormone circulates in blood or hemolymph from the cell that secretes it to the target cell. Cells that secrete hormones, called endocrine cells, are part of the endocrine system. Some endocrine cells are found in tissues of various organs, such as the stomach. Other endocrine cells are organized into endocrine glands. Endocrine signaling permits communication between distant cells in an animal. Many physiological functions are regulated by the endocrine system, including digestion, metabolism, salt balance, growth and development, and reproduction. Synaptic signaling. Synaptic signaling occurs at the junctions, or synapses, between a neuron and another cell. Neurons, specialized cells of the nervous system, have long extensions called dendrites and axons that form specific pathways along which information is transferred. There are two types of synapse, electrical synapses and chemical synapses. Electrical synapses are direct electrical connections between two neurons. Movement of ions through channels called gap junctions allows an electrical signal to be transferred from one neuron to the other. Communication through gap junctions is often bidirectional, meaning it can travel in both directions, and very fast. For this reason, electrical synapses are used in defensive reflexes. However, electrical synapses do not allow signal amplification. In chemical synapses, chemicals called neurotransmitters transmit a message between a neuron and another cell, which may be a neuron or a muscle cell. Binding of neurotransmitters to receptors on the receiving cell triggers a response. Neurotransmitters often activate a signal transduction cascade that amplifies the signal. Communication through chemical synapses is unidirectional. Chemical synapses are involved in behavioral responses, learning, and memory. Neuroendocrine signaling. In neuroendocrine signaling, stimulation of specialized neurons causes the release of signaling molecules called neurohormones into the bloodstream. Neurohormones can travel throughout the body and affect distant cells in the same way hormones do. IN THIS MODULE Intercellular Signaling Pheromones are Chemical Signals Transmitted Between Individuals of the Same Species. Transmission of Hormonal Signals Signal Transduction by Steroid Hormones Summary Test Your Knowledge WHY DOES THIS TOPIC MATTER? Cancer: What's Old Is New Again Is cancer ancient, or is it largely a product of modern times? Can cuttingedge research lead to prevention and treatment strategies that could make cancer obsolete? PRIMARY LITERATURE Adaptor proteins regulate cell signaling Structural basis for regulation of the Crk signaling protein by a proline switch. View | Download http://www.nature.com/principles/ebooks/principlesofbiology104015/29145721/1 1/2 1/27/2015 Hormones as Signaling Molecules | Principles of Biology from Nature Education Classic paper: Breakthrough enables tiny measurements of ion channel activity (1976) Singlechannel currents recorded from membrane of denervated frog muscle fibers. View | Download page 698 of 989 5 pages left in this module http://www.nature.com/principles/ebooks/principlesofbiology104015/29145721/1 2/2 1/27/2015 Hormones as Signaling Molecules | Principles of Biology from Nature Education contents Principles of Biology 137 Hormones as Signaling Molecules Pheromones are Chemical Signals Transmitted Between Individuals of the Same Species. Many animals are able to communicate with members of their own species using signaling molecules called pheromones that are emitted into the environment. For example, an ant that has found food will release pheromones on the way back to the nest, creating a pheromone trail that other ants can follow (Figure 1). Sex pheromones signal the mating availability of a female. The effect of some pheromones may not be global to all members of a species but may be limited to individuals of a specific colony or family. Figure 1: Ant pheromones. Ants such as this harvester ant (Messor barbarus) can follow a pheromone trail left by another ant to find a food source. Richard Becker/FLPA/Science Source. IN THIS MODULE Intercellular Signaling Pheromones are Chemical Signals Transmitted Between Individuals of the Same Species. Transmission of Hormonal Signals Signal Transduction by Steroid Hormones Summary Test Your Knowledge WHY DOES THIS TOPIC MATTER? Cancer: What's Old Is New Again Is cancer ancient, or is it largely a product of modern times? Can cuttingedge research lead to prevention and treatment strategies that could make cancer obsolete? PRIMARY LITERATURE Adaptor proteins regulate cell signaling Structural basis for regulation of the Crk signaling protein by a proline switch. View | Download Classic paper: Breakthrough enables tiny measurements of ion channel activity (1976) Singlechannel currents recorded from membrane of denervated frog muscle fibers. View | Download http://www.nature.com/principles/ebooks/principlesofbiology104015/29145721/2 1/2 1/27/2015 Hormones as Signaling Molecules | Principles of Biology from Nature Education page 699 of 989 4 pages left in this module http://www.nature.com/principles/ebooks/principlesofbiology104015/29145721/2 2/2 1/27/2015 Hormones as Signaling Molecules | Principles of Biology from Nature Education contents Principles of Biology 137 Hormones as Signaling Molecules Transmission of Hormonal Signals When a hormone binds to a protein receptor, a conformational change in the receptor occurs that triggers a response. A particular hormone only affects cells expressing a receptor to which it binds. In some cases, different receptors for a particular hormone are found in different cells types. Thus, a particular hormone may trigger different responses in different cells. For example, different receptors for the hormone epinephrine (also called adrenaline) are expressed in cardiac cells and hepatocytes (liver cells). Epinephrine, which is involved in the fightorflight response, binds to receptors called adrenergic receptors. The adrenergic receptor expressed in cardiac cells causes the heart to beat faster, while the adrenergic receptor expressed in the liver stimulates the breakdown of glycogen. Hormones are classified into two types based on solubility (Figure 2). Watersoluble hormones, which include proteins and hydrophilic molecules, cannot diffuse through plasma membranes. Thus, these hormones are released from endocrine cells by exocytosis. They diffuse into the bloodstream and travel to the target cell, where they bind an extracellular receptor. Hormone binding causes a conformational change in the receptor that causes a transfer of the signal from the outside of the cell to the inside, a process called signal transduction. Lipidsoluble hormones are able to cross the plasma membrane of both the endocrine cell from which they are secreted and the target cell on which they act. However, lipidsoluble molecules tend to form nonfunctional aggregates