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AP Biology: Endocrine System Flashcards

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9911029329Endocrine SystemThe internal system of communication involving hormones; functions in concert with the nervous system to effect internal regulation and maintain homeostasis.0
9911029332Epinephrinea hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla; mediates "fight or flight" responses to short-term stresses; also released by some neurons as a neurotransmitter; also known as adrenaline.1
9911029333PancreasRegulates the level of sugar in the blood with insulin and glucagon2
9911029334Negative FeedbackA process in which a system is turned off by the condition it produces3
9911029340Pituitary GlandMaster gland found at the base of the hypothalamus4
9911029346Adrenal Glandeither of a pair of complex endocrine glands situated near the kidney; produces steroid hormones and adrenaline5
9911029350G-proteinA cell surface receptor associated with an intracellular protein that binds and hydrolyzes GTP. When GTP is bound, the protein is active, and can regulate the activity of adenylyl cyclase; this modifies the intracellular levels of second messenger cAMP. When the GTP is hydrolyzed to GDP, the protein becomes inactive again.6
9911029351signal transduction pathwaya series of molecular changes that convert a signal on the target cell's surface to a specific response within the cell; crucial to many cellular functions7
9911029352protein kinasea general term for enzymes that activate or inactivate other proteins by phosphorylating them8
9911029353autocrinechemicals that exert their effects on the same cells that secrete them9
9911029354paracrinecell signaling where target is nearby10
9911029355steroid hormoneLipids that act as chemical messengers; synthesized from cholesterol11
9911029356peptide hormonePolar hormones incapable of permeating the cell membrane that bind to surface receptors and act through secondary messengers.12
9911029357gene expressionConversion of the information encoded in a gene first into messenger RNA and then to a protein; activation or deactivation of genes13
9911029358positive feedbackA form of regulation in which an end product of a process speeds up that process; in physiology, a control mechanism in which a change in a variable triggers a response that reinforces or amplifies the change.14

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