Cell Signaling Basics
This type of cell signaling occurs when a cell communicates with itself.
What is autocrine signaling?
This type of enzyme transfers phosphate groups in phosphorylation cascades
What is a kinase?
The phase of the cell cycle where DNA replication occurs.
What is the S phase?
Cancer cells bypass these regulatory points in the cell cycle, leading to uncontrolled division.
What are checkpoints?
This type of feedback loop amplifies a response until a specific outcome is achieved, such as contractions during childbirth.
What is positive feedback?
The three main stages of cell signaling.
What are reception, transduction, and response?
These small, non-protein molecules help relay a signal inside the cell
What are second messengers?
The phase where chromosomes line up at the metaphase plate.
What is metaphase?
A mutation in this type of gene can lead to excessive cell division and tumor formation.
What is a proto oncogene?
In a typical mammalian cell, this phase of the cell cycle takes up the longest amount of time.
What is interphase?
This type of signaling occurs over long distances using hormones
What is endocrine signaling?
A common second messenger in signal transduction that is produced by adenylyl cyclase
What is cyclic AMP (cAMP)?
The checkpoint that determines if the cell will proceed to division or enter G0.
What is the G1 checkpoint?
These types of genes normally prevent uncontrolled cell division, but when mutated, they can lead to cancer.
What are tumor suppressor genes?
The approximate percentage of the cell cycle spent in mitosis.
What is about 5% (or 1 hour out of a 24-hour cycle in mammalian cells)?
The name for the molecule that binds to a receptor and initiates a signal transduction pathway.
What is a ligand?
The enzyme that removes phosphate groups, effectively turning off the signal.
What is a phosphatase?
The protein complex that regulates progression through the cell cycle by activating cyclin-dependent kinases.
What are cyclins?
These are the two reasons why cells form tumors.
In a human somatic cell, this is the number of chromosomes present during G1 phase, and this is the number of chromatids present during G2 phase.
What are 46 chromosomes in G1 and 92 chromatids in G2?
In neurons, this type of signal is transmitted along the axon and is triggered when the membrane potential reaches the threshold.
What is an action potential?
The process of programmed cell death that prevents damaged cells from proliferating.
What is apoptosis?
The tumor suppressor gene often called the "guardian of the genome" because it regulates DNA damage repair.
What is p53?
The M checkpoint, also known as the spindle assembly checkpoint, prevents the cell from proceeding to anaphase until this condition is met.
What is all chromosomes are properly attached to spindle fibers at the metaphase plate?