cell signaling
A signaling molecule that binds a receptor?
ligand
Receptors found on the outside surface of a cell.
cell-surface receptors (for bonus 50 pts, polar or nonpolar?)
The thinnest cytoskeletal structure, made of a double helix of actin monomers.
microfilaments
Junctions that create a watertight seal between neighboring cells.
tight junctions
The supportive material found outside animal cells.
extracellular matrix (ECM)
Long-distance signaling that travels through the bloodstream.
endocrine signaling
Receptors found on the inside of the cell.
Intracellular receptor (polar or nonpolar for +50pts)
Motor protein that carries cargo toward the plus end of a microtubule.
kinesin (is plus end toward or away from the centrosome?)
Strong junctions that use cadherins and attach to intermediate filaments.
desmosomes
Cells that make and release much of the extracellular matrix in the dermis
fibroblasts
Signaling in which the signaling cell and target cell are the same cell.
autocrine signaling
The small second messenger made when adenylyl cyclase converts ATP.
cAMP
Fingerlike projections in intestinal cells that increase surface area for nutrient absorption.
microvilli
Junctions that directly let small molecules and signals pass between animal cells.
gap junctions
The thin ECM layer that anchors epithelial tissue to connective tissue below it.
basal lamina
Short-distance signaling through extracellular space between nearby cells.
paracrine signaling
Receptors that dimerize after ligand binding.
receptor kinases
The process of a cytoskeletal filament shrinking or breaking down.
depolymerization
Cell-to-ECM anchors that use integrins and connect to intermediate filaments.
hemidesmosomes
The stretchy ECM fibers that let tissue stretch and return to its original shape.
elastin
The four major steps of cell signaling.
signal binds/activates receptor → signal transduction pathway → cellular response → response is terminated.
In a G protein, which subunit disconnects and moves to the target protein?
alpha subunit
Compare kinesin and dynein: which direction does each travel on a microtubule
kinesin moves toward plus end and dynein toward minus end
Compare adherens junctions and desmosomes: which cytoskeletal fibers does each connect to?
adherens connect to actin microfilaments while desmosomes connect to intermediate filaments
The process by which cancer cells leave an original tumor, enter circulation, and establish tumors elsewhere.
metastasis