SECONDARY

MESSANGER
SYSTEM

Submitted by – Poornima,
2223
MSc Zoology Pre.

Submitted to- Dr. Vinay Malik

Dpt. Of Zoology, MDU
Introduction
• Intracellular signaling molecules released by cell
that relay signals received at receptors on cell
surface to target molecules in cytosol or nucleus

• CHARACTERS-Short lived, intitiating components,

amplify strength of the signal, conc. Increases
when extracellular signal comes, low in resting
cell

• Earl Wilbur Sutherland discovered SM in 1971

epinephrine had to trigger SM cAMP for liver to
convert glycogen to glucose
CLASSES/TYPES
1. CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDES-signal within cytosol, hydrophilic. eg-
cAMP, cGMP

2. LIPID DERIVED-within cell membrane like DAG (hydrophobic),

IP3(hydrophilic) signal in cytosol

3. IONS-signal within and between cellular components,

hydrophilic.. eg-calcium, magnesium ion

4 GASES-signal throughout cell and to neighboring cells as well.

eg-NO, CO, H2S
How they work?
Target PKA PKG PKC
cAMP
• SM synthesised from ATP
by AC

• Ligands like Epinephrine,

glucagon activate G
protein vch inturn
activate AC

• G protein two subunits-

Gs(stimulatory),
Gi(inhibitory)
Gene transcription
Glycogen breakdown
 cGMP
• Ligands like NO and ANP activate GC
which convert GTP to cGMP

• cGMP targets cGMP dependent

protein kinase PKG

• PKG phosphorylates varoius enzymes

to cause cellular responses.
Lipid derived SM
• Ligands like oxytocin, TSH, bind to GPCR and activate
phospholipase C which hydrolyses PIP2 and form DAG and IP3.
• DAG activate PKC and IP3 release Calcium ions from ER
Calcium as SM

• Ca binds to intermediary
cytosolic Ca binding
protein Calmodulin(CaM)
causing conformational
change in it & form Ca-
CaM complex.

• Ca-CaM complex binds to

various target proteins.
More than one SM relay signals intracellularly
 REFERENCES
• Molecular biology of cell by Alberts et al
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324314
598_Second_Messenger_System
• https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductor
y_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_Biology_(Kimbal
l)/04%3A_Cell_Metabolism/4.14%3A_Secondary_M
essengers
• https://www.pharmatutor.org/articles/role-of-
secondary-messenger-system-in-signal-
transduction