BIOCHEM 2EE3 Lecture Notes - Fovea Centralis, Cerebral Cortex, Rhodopsin
17 Mar 2014
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Document Summary
Physiological receptor: specialized cell or group of nerve endings responding to sensory stimuli - macroscopic. Vision: rod and cone cells at the top of the membrane, with optic nerve bers leading to the brain at the bottom: rods: operate at dim light. No colour, can respond to a single photon: cones: colour recognition in moderate and bright light. Retinal is a component of vitamin a: this conformational change signals to rhodopsin, a gpcr. Rod cell: consists of stacked disks that are rhodopsin complexed with opsin protein and 11-cis-retinal. At the synaptic body, the changed membrane potential generated from retinal isomerization is passed to a connected nerve cell. Biochemical receptors: molecular structure on the surface or interior of a cell that binds with substances such as hormones, neurotransmitters, drugs or antigens - microscopic. Endocrine signaling: secretes endocrine hormones into the bloodstream. These regulate functions of distant tissues, control slow long lasting responses and are derived from amino acids, peptides or sterols.
