Biology 142 – Introductory Biology II

Problem Set 11: Cell Signaling

This problem set is composed of 20 multiple choice and short answer questions covering cell
signaling.

Please try answering all the questions before attending tutorial/SI sessions. The TAs will review
any questions you’re having trouble with and answer questions on these and other topics.

**Please, DO NOT ask the TAs for an answer key. They have been instructed to not passively
hand out the answers. The answer keys WILL NOT be posted on Blackboard nor will they be
emailed to you. **

Once you have attempted the problem set, you can also ask questions in office hours. GOOD
LUCK!

Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. Decide whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE. If FALSE, correct the
statement.

A. “Second messengers, such as cAMP, affect many processes in the cell and allow a cell to
respond to a single event at the plasma membrane with many events inside the
cell.”

B. “Signal transduction begins when a cellular response is stimulated in a target cell by an

extracellular signal, for example, when a metabolic enzyme in a target cell
becomes activated.”

F. Signal transduction begins when the receptor protein on the target cell receives an
incoming extracellular signal and converts it into the intracellular signal that alters cell
behavior

C. “Paracrine Endocrine signals are signals that travel through the circulatory system to
reach distant target cells.”

D. “Different intracellular signaling pathways interact, enabling cells to produce an

appropriate response to a complex combination of signals.”

T
2. What is the correct order for these events in the interaction of a cell with a signal?
i) alteration of cell function
ii) signal binds to receptor
iii) signal released from source
iv) signal transduction
A) i, ii, iii, iv
B) ii, iii, i, iv
C) iii, ii, i, iv
D) iii, ii, iv, i
3. A cell secretes a signal into the extracellular fluid that diffuses to and affects nearby
cells. This form of cell signaling is an example of:
A) Exocrine signaling
B) Endocrine signaling
C) Autocrine signaling
D) Paracrine signaling
E) Neuronal signaling

4. The major difference between a cell that responds to a signal and one that does not is
the presence of a:
A) DNA sequence that binds to the signal.
B) nearby blood vessel.
C) receptor.
D) second messenger.
E) transduction pathway.

5. Why do some signals (“first messengers”) trigger a “second messenger” to activate a

target cell?
A) The first messenger requires activation by ATP.
B) The first messenger is not water-soluble.
C) The first messenger binds to many types of cells.
D) The first messenger cannot cross the plasma membrane.
E) There are no receptors for the first messenger

6. Second messengers, like cAMP, are quickly degraded within cells because:
A) The cell does not have enough space to hold a lot of second messengers.
B) The cell must maintain sensitivity towards further extracellular signals.
C) Too many second messengers in the cell are toxic.
D) Second messengers accumulate at their source within the cell preventing the
formation of further second messengers.

7. How does nitric oxide (NO) enter smooth muscle cells? NO:
A) crosses the smooth muscle cell plasma membrane through Ion channels.
 B) crosses the smooth muscle cell plasma membrane through channels called
Aquaporins.
C) diffuses directly across the smooth muscle cell plasma membrane
D) cannot enter smooth muscle cells.

8. A 15-year-old male presents to your family practice complaining of delayed onset of

puberty. He is 48 inches tall and shows no secondary sex characteristics. He requests
testosterone injections. In general, testosterone mediates its effect by which o
following mechanisms?
A) Activates a receptor that increases the permeability of the membrane to
cations.
B) Activates an intracellular enzyme when combined with a membrane
receptor.
C) Activates genes by binding with an intracellular receptor.
D) Activates the phosphatidylinositol system.
E) Increases cAMP levels by activating a second messenger

9. A nonpolar molecule such as a steroid hormone usually binds to a:

A) cytoplasmic receptor.
B) protein kinase.
C) ion channel.
D) phospholipid.
E) second messenger.

10. Which of the following is not a common type of receptor?

A) Ion channel
B) Enzyme-linked
C) G protein-linked
D) Adenylate cyclase
E) Transcription factor

11. Which of the following is not true of the Mitogen-Activated Protein (MAP) kinase
cascade?
A) The signal is amplified.
B) A second messenger is formed.
C) Target proteins are phosphorylated.
D) The cascade ends up in the nucleus.
E) The cascade begins at the plasma membrane.

Phosphorylation cascade = no secondary messenger needed

12. Which of the following is not a second messenger for signal transduction?
A) Calcium ions
 B) cyclic AMP (cAMP)
C) cyclic GMP (cGMP)
D) Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
E) Diacylglycerol (DAG)

13. Which of the following is likely to cause a rise in intracellular cAMP levels?
A) stimulation of phosphodiesterase activity
B) activation of an inhibitory G protein targeting adenylate cyclase
C) binding of chemical messengers to ion channel receptors
D) binding of chemical messengers to enzyme-linked receptors
E) stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity

14. Cholera toxin can affect cells by inhibiting the ability of the G protein α subunit to
hydrolyze GTP to GDP. On a cellular level, which one of the following would be helpful
in reducing the harmful effect of cholera toxin?
A) Increasing the amount of intracellular cAMP.
B) Inhibiting the activity of adenylyl cyclase in the cell.
C) Adding ligand for the G-protein coupled receptor in this pathway.
D) Increasing the amount of protein kinase A activity in the cell.
E) Inhibiting the activities of the β and γ G-protein subunits.

If the alpha subunit of the G protein cannot hydrolyze GTP to GDP its main problem is being
unable to dissociate from the enzyme (adenylyl cyclase) and terminating its activation. Therefore
inhibiting the activities of the other G protein subunits is not relevant here.

15. What enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of diacylglycerol (DAG)?

A) adenlyate cyclase
B) tyrosine kinase
C) phospholipase C
D) protein kinase
E) phosphoprotein phosphatase

16. In E. coli, a protein called EnvZ can phosphorylate the protein OmpR. When OmpR is
phosphorylated, it binds to a regulatory sequence upstream of the ompF gene to
promote gene expression. Which of the following statements accurately describes this
regulatory system?
A) EnvZ acts as a kinase - OmpR is involved in positive control of ompF
B) Envz acts as a phosphatase - OmpR is involved in negative control of ompF
C) EnvZ acts as a kinase - OmpR is involved in negative control of ompF
D) Envz acts as a phosphatase - OmpR is involved in positive control of ompF
E) Envz acts as a kinase - OmpR is involved in both positive and negative control of
ompF
Part 2: Short Answer

17. Fill in the blank

A. An active G protein releases the alpha subunit that interacts with another
membrane protein, altering the activity of the membrane protein.

B. The enzyme that catalyzes conversion of ATP to cAMP is called adenylyl cyclase.
(adenylate cyclase)

C. Following activation of the phosphatidylinositol system, IP3 liberates calcium from

intracellular stores.

D. Cytosolic calcium often exerts its effect by activating protein kinase C

18. Describe how the drug Viagra works.

Normally, nitrogen oxide diffuses into muscle cells and activates an enzyme that relaxes
surrounding cells, resulting in vasodilation. Relaxation of smooth muscles in the blood vessels of
the penis thus enhances blood flow into the erectile tissues. Viagra prolongs this signal by
inhibiting the hydrolysis of cGMP to GMP, slowing down the termination of the activity of the
second messengers.

Viagra is a cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Normally cGMP phosphodiesterase quickly breaks

down cGMP in smooth muscle cells, allowing the vascular smooth muscle cells to constrict and
thus reduce blood flow.

19. Draw a step-by-step diagram to illustrate and describe the activation of Protein Kinase
A by a G protein-coupled receptor.
 Note that the G protein is trimeric: there are 3 subunits (alpha, beta, gamma). Activation
of the G protein involves exchanging a GDP for a GTP at the alpha subunit.

20. The Ras protein functions as a molecular switch that is set to its “ON” state by other
proteins that cause it to bind GTP. A GTPase-activating protein resets the switch to the
“OFF” state by inducing Ras to hydrolyze its bound GTP to GDP much more rapidly than
it would without this encouragement. Thus Ras works like a light switch that one
person turns “ON” and another person turns “OFF.”

You are given a mutant cell that lacks the GTPase-activating protein. What
abnormalities would you expect to find in the way that Ras activity responds to
extracellular signals?

Ras would always be “ON” and would never terminate the activation of any steps
downstream in the pathway. Thus Ras activity would be constitutively on once it responds to an
extracellular signal.
 Note that Ras (the G protein) still retains its ability to act as a GTPase. It just does not
hydrolyze its bound GTP as quickly as it would with the presence of a GTPase-activating protein.

(1) There would be a high background level of Ras activity as it cannot be turned off
efficiently
(2) Ras activity in response to an extracellular signal would be greater than usual since
some are already GTP-bound.
(3) The response to an extracellular signal would be much slower since the signal-
dependent increase in GTP-bound Ras would occur over an elevated background of
preexisting GTP-bound Ras
(4) The increase in Ras activity in response to a signal would be prolonged compared to
normal cells