Messengers, secondary

The influx of Ca(Il) across the presynaptic membrane is essential for nerve signal transmission involving excitation by acetylcholine (26). Calcium is important in transducing regulatory signals across many membranes and is an important secondary messenger hormone. The increase in intracellular Ca(Il) levels can result from either active transport of Ca(Il) across the membrane via an import channel or by release of Ca(Il) from reticulum stores within the cell. More than 30 different proteins have been linked to regulation by the calcium complex with calmoduhn (27,28). 

If the allelochemical is hydrophylic, it cannot enter into the cell and act from outside by binding with chemoreceptors. The compounds from allelopathically active plants may serve as chemosignals and their signalling occurs via alternative pathways (i) Chemoreceptor (sensors) — transducers (G-proteins) —> secondary messengers (Ca2+, cyclic AMP or GMP, inositol triphospate, etc) —> organelles or (ii) Chemoreceptor (sensors) —> ion channels —> action potential organelles, or (iii) Chemoreceptor (sensors) —> ion channels —> cytoskeleton— organelles (Roshchina, 2005 a). What is the effect of acted allelochemical on the pathways, could be analysed to study the effects of substances on separate sites of the transduction chain. 

Abnormal G protein functioning dysregulates adenylate cyclase activity, phosphoinositide responses, sodiurrypotassiunVcalcium channel exchange, and activity of phospholipases. Abnormal cyclic adenosine monophosphate and phosphoinositide secondary messenger system activity. 

Normalizes or inhibits secondary messenger systems (e.g, inhibits phos-phoinositide and adenylate cyclase signaling normalizes guanine nucleotidebinding protein [G protein] signal transduction system) ... 

Increases choline in red blood cells and potentiates the cholinergic secondary messenger system. 

G-Protein coupled receptors (GPCR) represent the start element in secondary messenger producing systems. They comprise a family of over 1000 structurally-related members. These membrane proteins are also called serpentine or seven-helix receptors due to their seven transmembrane domains with an a-helical conformation. Receptors belonging to this class respond to a variety of hormones and neurotransmitters, and they detect odorant molecules or light [3,4]. 

When the receptor interacts with its associated G protein, the conformation of the guanine-nucleotide-binding site is altered. The subunits then dissociate, and a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) is activated [5]. The subsequent hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate then produces inositol triphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG), which are known to be secondary messengers. For example, the water soluble IP3 is released into the cell where its ultimate targets are the calcium storage organelles from which Ca2+ is released [3]. The presence of DAG in cells is known to activate the cellular enzyme protein kinase C (PKC) [6, 7], which phosphorylates a number of cellular... 

Fig. 2. Activation of an intracellular PLC by an extracellular signal (primary messenger) transduced across the membrane via a receptor and G-protein. The products DAG and IP3 that are produced by the PLC catalyzed hydrolysis of phospholipids are secondary messengers...

Figure 2.4. Relationship between the postsynaptic receptor and the secondary messenger system. GTP=guanosine triphosphate GDP=guanosine diphosphate ATP=adenosine triphosphate AMP=adenosine monophosphate.

At the postsynaptic level, lithium has been shown to reduce the function of beta adrenoceptors, presumably by affecting the coupling between the receptor and the secondary messenger system. This effect only becomes apparent following chronic treatment, which may help to explain the delay of several days, or even weeks, before an optimal beneficial effect is observed. All antidepressants are known to reduce the functional activity of postsynaptic beta receptors, which may explain why lithium has both an antimanic and an antidepressant effect in patients with manic-depression. 

The amount, presence, or absence of a particular protein is generally controlled by the DNA in the cell. Protein synthesis can be signaled outside or within the cell. Growth factors and hormones form part of this secondary messenger service. 

The most common secondary messengers in signal transduction pathways, formed from the primary interaction, are calcium ions (Ca ). The receptor-hormone complex induces changes in the cell s metabolism, usualfy by affecting transcription or translatioiL... 

Cyclic AMP (adenosine 3, 5 -cyclic monophosphate) is anotter secondary messenger that acts as an intracellular mediator for many different hormones, communicating the signal through the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. This, in turn, phosphorylates other proteins at ine and threonine residues. Certain cell-surfece receptors act by increasing the concentration of intracellular cyclic AMP. A long-duration sudden increase of intracellular cyclic AMP takes place with cholera toxins in intestinal epithelial cells. Other cell-surfece receptors play the opposite role of decreasing the concentration of cyclic AMP. 

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