lect 1-3 Flashcards
what is endocrine chemical communication?
secretory cells secrete in blood stream and travels to distant target cells
what are features of endocrine glands. name some glands
ductless. fenestrated capillaries.
pituitary, thyroid, adrenal glands
what is neuroendocrine chemical communication?
neurosecretory nerve cells release neurohormones into the general circulation or in the hypothalamus-hypophyseal portal circulation
what are features of neuroendocrine communication?
reaches a large number of target cells;
indirect, relatively slow communication
what is the hypothalamus-hypophyseal portal circulation
blood stream from hypothalamus to anterior pituitary gland
describe the parvocellular system
small cells system: synthesis of hypophysiotropic hormones. released in ME
describe the magnocellular system
big cells system: produces neurohypophyseal peptides (ex OT and vasopressin)
name the 5 hypothalamic releasing factors
CRH corticotropin releasing hormone
GHRH growth hormone releasing hormone
GnRH gonadotropin releasing hormone
Somatostatin
TRH thyrotropin releasing hormone
what are the 2 neurohypophyseal peptides
oxytocin, vasopressin
what is POMC?
pro-opiomelanocortin, a prohormone precursor protein that gets processed in a tissue-specific manner to yield biologically active peptides
what is the endocrine master switch of the neuroendocrine system
pituitary gland
4 ways to control hypothalamic hormone release
- indirect stimulation/inhibition of neurosecretory cell via interneurons
- direct innervation via axo-dendritic / axo-somatic synapses
- pre-synaptic inhibition via axo-axonis synapses
- direct release of hypothalamic dopamine in portal blood stream
what is the most common neuroendocrine messenger?
peptides
when we say “central”, what do we mean?
hypothalamic
what takes longer, secretion or production of neuropeptides?
production
what happens in large dense-core vesicles?
processing, storage, and degradation of peptides.
cleaving out of bioactive peptide sequence.
what happens in rough ER for peptides production?
production of a large precursor proteins
where does the large precursor protein go to mature?
Golgi apparatus / TGN (actually LDCVs?)
what is always cleaaved off when it gets to the ER lumen ?
n-terminal signal peptide that signals to go to the ER
what is prohormone convertase?
enzyme that converts complex precursor proteins into active biological component
which prohormone convertase are present in neurons and endocrine cells?
PC1/PC3, PC2
what is special about pro-opiomelanocortin?
It can be cleaved at 7 different cleavage sites to give many different hormones:
ACTH, CLIP, JP, LPH, MSH, PC, beta-endorphin
what is precursor protein cleavage dependent on?
the location (ex hypothalamus, pituitary) of the endocrine cells or neurons, and mostly pH and PC expression
how is the pH in secretory granules?
acidic