G protein

(noun)

any of a class of proteins, found in cell membranes, that pass signals between hormone receptors and effector enzymes

Related Terms

  • GTP-binding protein
  • kinase
  • cyclic adenosine monophosphate
  • second messenger

Examples of G protein in the following topics:

  • Types of Receptors

    • G-protein-linked receptors bind a ligand and activate a membrane protein called a G-protein.
    • All G-protein-linked receptors have seven transmembrane domains, but each receptor has its own specific extracellular domain and G-protein-binding site.
    • Once the G-protein binds to the receptor, the resultant shape change activates the G-protein, which releases GDP and picks up GTP.
    • One or both of these G-protein fragments may be able to activate other proteins as a result.
    • Heterotrimeric G proteins have three subunits: α, β, and γ.
  • Plasma Membrane Hormone Receptors

    • When a hormone binds to its membrane receptor, a G protein that is associated with the receptor is activated.
    • G proteins are proteins separate from receptors that are found in the cell membrane.
    • When a hormone is not bound to the receptor, the G protein is inactive and is bound to guanosine diphosphate, or GDP.
    • After binding, GTP is hydrolyzed by the G protein into GDP and becomes inactive .
    • The activated G protein in turn activates a membrane-bound enzyme called adenylyl cyclase.
  • Binding Initiates a Signaling Pathway

    • There are three general categories of cell-surface receptors: ion channel-linked receptors, G-protein-linked receptors, and enzyme-linked receptors.
    • G-protein-linked receptors bind a ligand and activate a membrane protein called a G-protein.
    • The activated G-protein then interacts with either an ion channel or an enzyme in the membrane.
    • All G-protein-linked receptors have seven transmembrane domains, but each receptor has its own specific extracellular domain and G-protein-binding site.
    • In a signaling pathway, second messengers, enzymes, and activated proteins interact with specific proteins, which are in turn activated in a chain reaction that eventually leads to a change in the cell's environment.
  • Cell Signaling and Cell Growth

    • Activation of RTKs initiates a signaling pathway that includes a G-protein called RAS, which activates the MAP kinase pathway described earlier.
    • These pathways are controlled by signaling proteins, which are, in turn, expressed by genes.
    • Mutations in these genes can result in malfunctioning signaling proteins.
    • The genes that regulate the signaling proteins are one type of oncogene: a gene that has the potential to cause cancer.
    • The gene encoding RAS is an oncogene that was originally discovered when mutations in the RAS protein were linked to cancer.
  • Epigenetic Alterations in Cancer

    • Common in cancer cells, silencing genes, which occur through epigenetic mechanisms, include modifications to histone proteins and DNA.
    • Mechanisms of epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes and activation of oncogenes include: alteration in CpG island methylation patterns, histone modifications, and dysregulation of DNA binding proteins.
    • Silencing genes through epigenetic mechanisms is very common in cancer cells and include modifications to histone proteins and DNA that are associated with silenced genes.
    • In cancer cells, the DNA in the promoter region of silenced genes is methylated on cytosine DNA residues in CpG islands, genomic regions that contain a high frequency of CpG sites, where a cytosine nucleotide occurs next to a guanine nucleotide .
    • Mechanisms can include modifications to histone proteins and DNA associated with these silencing genes.
  • Elongation and Termination in Prokaryotes

    • Transcription elongation begins with the release of the polymerase σ subunit and terminates via the rho protein or via a stable hairpin.
    • Near the end of the gene, the polymerase encounters a run of G nucleotides on the DNA template and it stalls.
    • As a result, the rho protein collides with the polymerase.
    • As the polymerase nears the end of the gene being transcribed, it encounters a region rich in C–G nucleotides.
    • The mRNA folds back on itself, and the complementary C–G nucleotides bind together.
  • Epigenetic Control: Regulating Access to Genes within the Chromosome

    • Both the packaging of DNA around histone proteins, as well as chemical modifications to the DNA or proteins, can alter gene expression.
    • How the histone proteins move is dependent on signals found on both the histone proteins and on the DNA.
    • This occurs within very specific regions called CpG islands.
    • This modification changes how the DNA interacts with proteins, including the histone proteins that control access to the region.
    • Histone proteins and DNA nucleotides can be modified chemically.
  • Cancer Proteomics

    • Proteomics, the analysis of proteins, plays a prominent role in the study and treatment of cancer.
    • An individual protein that indicates disease is called a biomarker, whereas a set of proteins with altered expression levels is called a protein signature .
    • For a biomarker or protein signature to be useful as a candidate for early screening and detection of a cancer, it must be secreted in body fluids (e.g. sweat, blood, or urine) such that large-scale screenings can be performed in a non-invasive fashion.
    • Some examples of protein biomarkers used in cancer detection are CA-125 for ovarian cancer and PSA for prostate cancer.
    • Protein signatures may be more reliable than biomarkers to detect cancer cells.
  • mRNA Processing

    • Intron sequences in mRNA do not encode functional proteins.
    • This is supported by the fact that separate exons often encode separate protein subunits or domains.
    • All introns in a pre-mRNA must be completely and precisely removed before protein synthesis.
    • The spliceosome cleaves the pre-mRNA's sugar phosphate backbone at the G that starts the intron and then covalently attaches that G to an internal A nucleotide within the intron.
    • Initially, the conserved G which starts an intron is cleaved from the 3' end of the exon upstream to it and the G is covalently attached to an internal A within the intron.
  • Connecting Other Sugars to Glucose Metabolism

    • This happens because all of the catabolic pathways for carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids eventually connect into glycolysis and the citric acid cycle pathways.
    • The glycogen is hydrolyzed into the glucose monomer, glucose-1-phosphate (G-1-P), if blood sugar levels drop.
    • Glycogen is broken down into G-1-P and converted into glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) in both muscle and liver cells; this product enters the glycolytic pathway.
    • Galactose is converted in the liver to G-6-P and can thus enter the glycolytic pathway.
    • Schematic two-dimensional cross-sectional view of glycogen: A core protein of glycogenin is surrounded by branches of glucose units.
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