PHYS20050 Tutorial 3: Cell Signalling

In preparation for the third tutorial please review the following material and think about the listed
questions.

Interleukin 1 (IL-1) is an archetypal leukocyte-derived cytokine that plays a major role in the
inflammatory and immune responses. IL-1 is secreted by activated inflammatory cells and triggers
various responses in various cell types. Some specific functions of IL-1 will be discussed in Lecture 22
(Example of Cell signalling: Host response to infection).

1. What do we mean by the terms autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine?

Autocrine - Signalling & target cell are the same cell
Paracrine - Signalling & target cell are close together
Endocrine – Signalling from signalling cell travel through bloodstream to target cell

2. What is a cytokine?
• Small proteins that regulate immune and inflammatory responses
• Important in celll-cel signalling proteins and peptides
• Eg: Large family of interleukins – IL-1 to IL-38 – TNFa

3. What is a receptor?
A protein molecule that receives chemical signals from outside a cell

4. How does IL-1 regulate cellular responses?

• Autocrine – Activated monocytes produce IL-1beta – Promotes phagocytic capacity
• Paracrine – released by mono/macs – Activates endothelium (Upregulates adhesion
molecule expression)
• Endocrine – Stimulates endothelial cells in hypothalamus and resets thermostat
(Endogenous Pyrogen)

5. How might IL-1 exert different effects in different cell types?

6. Why are signalling cascades required?

a. Why do some receptors engage multiple cascades?
Allow sinal amplification
b. What are kinases?

c. What enzyme class counteracts the activity of a kinase?

Tyrosine phosphatases
d. What are NF B, AP-1, and ATF2 examples of?
G Protein Coupled receptors generally mediate rapid signalling events in cells.
1. What events follow activation of a GPCR?

2. What types of G proteins regulate GPCR signalling?

3. Why are second messengers required?

Allow signal amplification
4. If we take Noradrenaline as an example what is the potential value of having multiple
adrenoceptors?
5.

Tamoxifen is used to treat Estrogen Receptor positive breast cancer. Tamoxifen is metabolised in
the liver to generate active metabolites that bind to the estrogen receptor.
1. What type of receptor is the estrogen receptor?
Steroid Hormone Receptor
2. What type of signalling events is the estrogen receptor involved in?
Induce or suppress gene activation
3. How does the estrogen receptor affect cell function?
Increases gene expression for cell proliferation