1) In yeast signal transduction, a yeast cell releases a mating
factor which _____.
A) acts back on the same cell that secreted
the mating factor, changing its development
B) passes through
the membranes of neighboring cells, binds to DNA, and initiates transcription
C) binds to receptors on the membranes of other types of yeast
cells
D) diffuses through the membranes of distant cells,
causing them to produce factors that initiate long-distance migrations
Answer: C
2) Which of the following statements about quorum sensing is FALSE? Quorum sensing _____.
A) is cell-cell communication in eukaryotes
B) is species
specific
C) may result in biofilm formation
D) is particularly well studied because of its medical importance
Answer: A
3) In the formation of biofilms, such as those forming on unbrushed
teeth, cell signaling serves which function?
A) formation of
mating complexes
B) aggregation of bacteria that can cause cavities
C) secretion of substances that inhibit foreign bacteria
D) digestion of unwanted parasite populations
Answer: B
4) Which of the following is a type of local signaling in which a
cell secretes a signal molecule that affects neighboring cells?
A) hormonal signaling
B) autocrine signaling
C) paracrine signaling
D) synaptic signaling
Answer: C
5) Hormones are chemical substances produced in one organ that are
released into the bloodstream and affect the function of a target
organ. For the target organ to respond to a particular hormone, it
must _____.
A) modify its plasma membrane to alter the hormone
entering the cytoplasm
B) be from the same cell type as the organ that produced the hormone
C) experience an imbalance that disrupts its normal function
D) have receptors that recognize and bind the hormone molecule
Answer: D
6) In which of the following ways do plant hormones differ from hormones in animals?
A) Plant hormones most often travel in air as a gas.
B) Animal
hormones are only local regulators.
C) Plant hormones are
typically released into the soil.
D) Animal hormones are primarily for mating and embryonic development.
Answer: A
7) When a neuron responds to a particular neurotransmitter by opening
gated ion channels, the neurotransmitter is serving as which part of
the signal pathway?
A) relay molecule
B) transducer
C) signal molecule
D) response molecule
Answer: C
10) Which observation suggested to Sutherland the involvement of a
second messenger in epinephrine's effect on liver cells?
A)
Receptor studies indicated that epinephrine was a ligand.
B)
Glycogen breakdown was observed only when epinephrine was administered
to intact cells.
C) Glycogen breakdown was observed when epinephrine and glycogen phosphorylase were combined.
D) Epinephrine was known to have different effects on different types of cells.
Answer: B
11) A G-protein receptor with GTP bound to it _____.
A) is in
its active state
B) signals a protein to maintain its shape and conformation
C) will use cGMP as a second messenger
D) directly affects
gene expression
Answer: A
12) Testosterone functions inside a cell by _____.
A) acting as
a signal receptor that activates tyrosine kinases
B) binding
with a receptor protein that enters the nucleus and activates specific genes
C) acting as a steroid signal receptor that activates ion channel
proteins
D) coordinating a phosphorylation cascade that
increases spermatogenesis
Answer: B
13) Scientists have found that extracellular matrix components may
induce specific gene expression in embryonic tissues such as the liver
and testes. For this to happen there must be direct communication
between the extracellular matrix and the developing cells. Which kind
of transmembrane protein would most likely be involved in this kind of
induction?
A) integrins
B) collagens
C) actins
D) fibronectins
Answer: A
14) One of the major categories of receptors in the plasma membrane
reacts by forming dimers, adding phosphate groups, and then activating
relay proteins. Which type does this?
A) G protein-coupled
receptors
B) ligand-gated ion channels
C) steroid receptors
D) receptor tyrosine kinases
Answer: D
15) A drug designed to inhibit the response of cells to testosterone
would most likely result in _____.
A) lower cytoplasmic levels
of cAMP
B) a decrease in transcriptional activity of certain genes
C) an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration
D) a decrease in G protein activity
Answer: B
A major group of G protein-coupled receptors contains seven transmembrane α helices. The amino end of the protein lies at the exterior of the plasma membrane. Loops of amino acids connect the helices either at the exterior face or on the cytosol face of the membrane. The loop on the cytosol side between helices 5 and 6 is usually substantially longer than the others.
16) Where would you expect to find the carboxyl end?
A) at the exterior surface
B) at the cytosol surface
C)
connected with the loop at H5 and H6
D) between the membrane layers
Answer: B
A major group of G protein-coupled receptors contains seven transmembrane α helices. The amino end of the protein lies at the exterior of the plasma membrane. Loops of amino acids connect the helices either at the exterior face or on the cytosol face of the membrane. The loop on the cytosol side between helices 5 and 6 is usually substantially longer than the others.
17) The coupled G protein most likely interacts with this receptor _____.
A) at the NH3 end
B) at the COO– end
C) along the
exterior margin
D) at the loop between H5 and H6
Answer: D
A major group of G protein-coupled receptors contains seven transmembrane α helices. The amino end of the protein lies at the exterior of the plasma membrane. Loops of amino acids connect the helices either at the exterior face or on the cytosol face of the membrane. The loop on the cytosol side between helices 5 and 6 is usually substantially longer than the others.
18) Binding of a signaling molecule to which type of receptor leads
directly to a change in the distribution of ions on opposite sides of
the membrane?
A) receptor tyrosine kinase
B) G
protein-coupled receptor
C) ligand-gated ion channel
D) intracellular receptor
Answer: C
19) Lipid-soluble signaling molecules, such as testosterone, cross
the membranes of all cells but affect only target cells because
_____.
A) only target cells retain the appropriate DNA
segments
B) intracellular receptors are present only in target cells
C) only target cells possess the cytosolic enzymes that transduce
the testosterone
D) only in target cells is testosterone able to
initiate the phosphorylation cascade leading to activated
transcription factor
Answer: B
20) If an animal cell suddenly lost the ability to produce GTP, what
might happen to its signaling system?
A) It would not be able to
activate and inactivate the G protein on the cytoplasmic side of the
plasma membrane.
B) It would be able to carry out reception and transduction but
would not be able to respond to a signal.
C) It would use ATP
instead of GTP to activate and inactivate the G protein on the
cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane.
D) It would employ a transduction pathway directly from an external messenger.
Answer: A
21) Which of the following is true of steroid receptors?
A) The
receptor molecules are themselves lipids or glycolipids.
B) The
receptor may be inside the nucleus of a target cell.
C) The
unbound steroid receptors are quickly recycled by lysosomes.
D)
Steroid receptors are typically bound to the external surface of the
nuclear membrane.
Answer: B
22) Particular receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) that promote excessive cell division are found at high levels on various cancer cells. A protein, Herceptin, has been found to bind to an RTK known as HER2. HER2 is sometimes excessive in cancer cells. This information can now be utilized in breast cancer treatment if which of the following is true?
A) if HER2, administered by injection, causes cell division
B) if the patient's cancer cells have excessive levels of HER2
C) if the patient's genome codes for the HER2 receptor
D) if the patient has RTKs only in cancer cells
Answer: B
23) Which of the following would be inhibited by a drug that
specifically blocks the addition of phosphate groups to
proteins?
A) G protein-coupled receptor binding
B)
ligand-gated ion channel signaling
C) adenylyl cyclase activity
D) receptor tyrosine kinase activity
Answer: D
24) Which of the following is characteristic of a steroid hormone action?
A) protein phosphorylation
B) cell-surface receptor
binding
C) internal receptor binding
D) second messenger activation
Answer: C
25) The receptors for steroid hormones are located inside the cell
instead of on the membrane surface like most other signal receptors.
This is not a problem for steroids because _____.
A) the
receptors can be readily stimulated to exit and relocate on the
membrane surface
B) steroids do not directly affect cells but
instead alter the chemistry of blood plasma
C) steroid hormones are lipid soluble, so they can readily diffuse
through the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane
D) steroids must
first bond to a steroid activator, forming a complex that then binds
to the cell surface
Answer: C
26) Not all intercellular signals require transduction. Which one of
the following signals would be processed without transduction?
A) a lipid-soluble signal
B) a signal that is weakly bound to a nucleotide
C) a signal that binds to a receptor in the cell membrane
D) a signal that binds to the ECM
Answer: A
27) What does it mean to say that a signal is transduced?
A)
The signal enters the cell directly and binds to a receptor
inside.
B) The physical form of the signal changes from one form
to another.
C) The signal is amplified, such than even a single
molecule evokes a large response.
D) The signal triggers a sequence of phosphorylation events inside the cell.
Answer: B
28) Protein phosphorylation is commonly involved with all of the following EXCEPT _____.
A) regulation of transcription by extracellular signaling
molecules
B) enzyme activation
C) activation of G
protein-coupled receptors
D) activation of protein kinase molecules
Answer: C
29) In general, a signal transmitted via phosphorylation of a series of proteins _____.
A) results in a conformational change to each protein
B)
requires binding of a hormone to an intracellular receptor
C)
activates a transcription event
D) generates ATP in the process of signal transduction
Answer: A
30) Which of the following is the best explanation for the inability of a specific animal cell to reduce the Ca2+ concentration in its cytosol compared with the extracellular fluid?
A) blockage of the synaptic signal
B) loss of transcription
factors
C) insufficient ATP levels in the cytosol
D) low levels of protein kinase in the cell
Answer: C
31) The toxin of Vibrio cholerae causes profuse diarrhea because it _____.
A) modifies a G protein involved in regulating salt and water
secretion
B) binds with adenylyl cyclase and triggers the
formation of cAMP
C) signals IP3 to act as a second messenger
for the release of calcium
D) modifies calmodulin and activates a cascade of protein kinases
Answer: A
32) Which of the following would most likely be an immediate result
of a growth factor binding to its receptor?
A) protein kinase
activity
B) adenylyl cyclase activity
C) protein phosphatase activity
D) phosphorylase activity
Answer: A
33) Adenylyl cyclase has the opposite effect of which of the following?
A) protein kinase
B) protein phosphatase
C) phosphodiesterase
D) phosphorylase
Answer: C
34) Caffeine is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase. Therefore, the
cells of a person who has recently consumed coffee would have
increased levels of _____.
A) phosphorylated proteins
B) cAMP
C) adenylyl cyclase
D) activated G proteins
Answer: B
35) An inhibitor of which of the following could be used to block the
release of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum?
A)
serine/threonine kinases
B) phosphodiesterase
C) phospholipase C
D) adenylyl cyclase
Answer: C
36) Which of the following statements is true of signal
molecules?
A) When signal molecules first bind to receptor
tyrosine kinases, the receptors phosphorylate a number of nearby
molecules.
B) In response to some G protein-mediated signals, a
special type of lipid molecule associated with the plasma membrane is
cleaved to form IP3 and calcium.
C) In most cases, signal molecules interact with the cell at the
plasma membrane, enter the cell, and eventually enter the
nucleus.
D) Protein kinase A activation is one possible result
of signal molecules binding to G protein- coupled receptors.
Answer: D
37) Which of the following is a correct association?
A) kinase
activity and the addition of a tyrosine
B) phosphodiesterase
activity and the removal of phosphate groups
C) GTPase activity and hydrolysis of GTP to GDP
D) adenylyl
cyclase activity and the conversion of cAMP to AMP
Answer: C
38) Protein kinase is an enzyme that _____.
A) functions as a
second messenger molecule
B) serves as a receptor for various
signal molecules
C) activates or inactivates other proteins by
adding a phosphate group to them
D) produces second messenger molecules
Answer: C
39) Viagra causes dilation of blood vessels and increased blood flow
to the penis, facilitating erection. Viagra acts by inhibiting
_____.
A) the hydrolysis of cGMP to GMP
B) the hydrolysis
of GTP to GDP
C) the dephosphorylation of cGMP
D) the removal of GMP from
the cell
Answer: A
40) Which of the following amino acids are most frequently
phosphorylated by protein kinases in the cytoplasm during signal
transduction?
A) tyrosines
B) glycine and histidine
C) serine and threonine
D) glycine and glutamic acid
Answer: C
41) In signal transduction, phosphatases _____.
A) move the
phosphate group of the transduction pathway to the next molecule of a series
B) prevent a protein kinase from being reused when there is another extracellular signal
C) amplify the second messengers such as cAMP
D) inactivate
protein kinases and turn off the signal transduction
Answer: D
42) If a pharmaceutical company wished to design a drug to maintain
low blood sugar levels, one approach might be to design a compound
_____.
A) that activates epinephrine receptors
B) that
increases cAMP production in liver cells
C) to block G protein activity in liver cells
D) that increases phosphorylase activity
Answer: C
43) If a pharmaceutical company wished to design a drug to maintain
low blood sugar levels, one approach might be to design a compound
_____.
A) that mimics epinephrine and can bind to the
epinephrine receptor
B) that stimulates cAMP production in liver cells
C) to stimulate G protein activity in liver cells
D) that increases phosphodiesterase activity
Answer: D
44) Consider this pathway: epinephrine → G protein-coupled receptor →
G protein → adenylyl cyclase → cAMP. The second messenger in this
pathway is _____.
A) cAMP
B) G protein
C) adenylyl cyclase
D) G protein-coupled receptor
Answer: A
45) Sutherland discovered that the signaling molecule epinephrine
_____.
A) brings about a decrease in levels of cAMP as a result
of bypassing the plasma membrane
B) causes lower blood glucose by binding to liver cells
C)
interacts directly with glycogen phosphorylase
D) elevates
cytosolic concentrations of cyclic AMP
Answer: D
46) Which of the following is true during a typical cAMP-type signal
transduction event?
A) The second messenger is the last part of
the system to be activated.
B) The hormone activates the second
messenger by directly binding to it.
C) The second messenger
amplifies the hormonal response by attracting more hormones to the
cell being affected.
D) Adenylyl cyclase is activated after the hormone binds to the cell and before phosphorylation of proteins occurs.
Answer: D
47) Put the steps of the process of signal transduction in the order
they occur:
1. A conformational change in the signal-receptor
complex activates an enzyme.
2. Protein kinases are activated.
3. A signal molecule binds to a receptor.
4. Target proteins are phosphorylated.
5. Second messenger molecules are released.
A) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
B) 3, 1, 2, 4, 5
C) 3, 1, 5, 2, 4
D) 1, 2, 5, 3, 4
Answer: C
48) Transcription factors _____.
A) regulate the synthesis of
DNA in response to a signal
B) transcribe ATP into cAMP
C) control gene expression
D) regulate the synthesis of lipids in the cytoplasm
Answer: C
49) At puberty, an adolescent female body changes in both structure
and function of several organ systems, primarily under the influence
of changing concentrations of estrogens and other steroid hormones.
How can one hormone, such as estrogen, mediate so many effects?
A) Estrogen is produced in very large concentration by nearly every
tissue of the body.
B) Each cell responds in the same way when
steroids bind to the cell surface.
C) Estrogen is kept away from
the surface of any cells not able to bind it at the surface.
D)
Estrogen binds to specific receptors inside many kinds of cells, each
with different responses.
Answer: D
50) Scaffolding proteins are _____.
A) microtubular protein
arrays that allow lipid-soluble hormones to get from the cell membrane
to the nuclear pores
B) large molecules to which several relay
proteins attach to facilitate cascade effects
C) relay proteins
that orient receptors and their ligands in appropriate directions to
facilitate their complexing
D) proteins that can reach into the
nucleus of a cell to affect transcription
Answer: B
51) Phosphorylation cascades involving a series of protein kinases
are useful for cellular signal transduction because they _____.
A) are species specific
B) always lead to the same cellular response
C) amplify the original signal many times
D) counter the
harmful effects of phosphatases
Answer: C
52) GTPase activity is important in the regulation of signal transduction because it _____.
A) increases the available concentration of phosphate
B)
decreases the amount of G protein in the membrane
C) hydrolyzes
GTP to GDP, thus shutting down the pathway
D) converts cGMP to GTP
Answer: C
53) Why has C. elegans proven to be a useful model for understanding
apoptosis?
A) The animal does not naturally use apoptosis, but
can be induced to do so in the laboratory.
B) The nematode undergoes a fixed and easy-to-visualize number of
apoptotic events during its normal development.
C) This plant
has a long-studied aging mechanism that has made understanding its
death just a last stage.
D) While the organism ages, its cells
die progressively until the whole organism is dead.
Answer: B
54) Which of the following describes the events of apoptosis?
A) The cell dies, it is lysed, its organelles are phagocytized, and
its contents are recycled.
B) The cell's DNA and organelles
become fragmented, the cell dies, and it is phagocytized.
C) The
cell's DNA and organelles become fragmented, the cell shrinks and
forms blebs, and the cell's parts are packaged in vesicles that are
digested by specialized cells.
D) The cell's nucleus and
organelles are lysed, then the cell enlarges and bursts.
Answer: C
55) If an adult person has a faulty version of the human analog to
ced-4 of the nematode, which of the following is most likely to
result?
A) activation of a developmental pathway found in the
worm but not in humans
B) a form of cancer in which there is
insufficient apoptosis
C) formation of molecular pores in the mitochondrial outer membrane
D) excess skin loss
Answer: B
56) Why is apoptosis potentially threatening to the healthy
"neighbors" of a dying cell?
A) Cell death would
usually spread from one cell to the next via paracrine signals.
B) Lysosomal enzymes exiting the dying cell would damage surrounding
cells.
C) Bits of membrane from the dying cell could merge with
neighboring cells and bring in foreign receptors.
D) Neighboring cells would activate immunological responses.
Answer: B
57) In the nematode C. elegans, ced-9 prevents apoptosis in a normal
cell in which of the following ways?
A) It prevents the caspase
activity of ced-3 and ced-4.
B) Ced-9 remains inactive until it
is signaled by ced-3 and other caspases.
C) Ced-9 cleaves to produce ced-3 and ced-4.
D) Ced-9 prevents
blebbing by its action on the cell membrane.
Answer: A
58) In research on aging (both cellular aging and organismal aging), it has been found that aged cells do not progress through the cell cycle as they had previously. Which of the following, if found in cells or organisms as they age, would provide evidence that this is related to cell signaling?
A) Growth factor ligands do not bind as efficiently to receptors.
B) Hormone concentrations decrease.
C) cAMP levels change very
frequently.
D) Enzymatic activity declines.
Answer: A
59) Apoptosis involves all but which of the following?
A) fragmentation of the DNA
B) activation of cellular
enzymes
C) lysis of the cell
D) digestion of cellular contents by scavenger cells
Answer: C
60) An unlabeled signaling diagram for steroid hormones: Fig. 11.8 p. 213, Campbell 8e.
A steroid hormone, like estrogen, passes through the plasma membrane and binds to an intracellular protein as shown in the diagram below. This activates a signal-transduction pathway which results in an increased production of a specific protein.
Which of the following statements would explain what would occur as
a result of the signal pathway represented by the diagram?
A)
Transfer RNA (t-RNA) would accumulate in high levels because it is not
required for protein synthesis.
B) Ribosomal RNA (r-RNA) levels
would increase because ribosomes are specific for the messenger RNA
(m-RNA) with which they bind during transcription of the
polypeptide.
C) DNA levels would increase in the nucleus as a
result of the binding of the hormone-receptor complex with the
DNA.
D) Messenger RNA (m-RNA) levels would increase in order to
be translated into the protein required by the cell.
Answer: D
61) Which of the following poses the best evidence that
cell-signaling pathways evolved early in the history of life?
A)
Cell-signaling pathways are seen in "primitive" cells such
as bacteria and yeast.
B) Bacteria and yeast cells signal each
other in a process called quorum sensing.
C) Signal transduction molecules identified in distantly related organisms are similar.
D) Most signals in all types of cells are received by cell surface receptors.
Answer: C
62) Cells that are infected, damaged, or have reached the end of
their functional life span often undergo "programmed cell
death." This controlled cell suicide is called apoptosis. Select
the appropriate description of this event on a cell's life
cycle.
A) Apoptosis is regulated by cell surface receptors that
signal when a cell has reached its density-dependent limits.
B) During apoptosis, dying cells leak out their contents including
digestive enzymes that also destroy healthy cells.
C) During
apoptosis, cellular agents chop up the DNA and fragment the organelles
and other cytoplasmic components of a cell.
D) Each cell organelle has protein signals that initiate the breakdown of the organelle's components which leads to cell death.
Answer: C