• State how prokaryotes sense their world? Give
a specific example.
• What is quorum sensing? How do bacteria use
this process? What is the type of the signal?
• How are signal transduction pathways and cell
signaling relate to multicellular organisms?
Give a specific example
• Name the main steps of the cell signaling
pathway.
• The picture below represents part of an
experiment on quorum sensing. Predict the
outcome of the experiment and justify your
answer.
• What type of signal is used when
– the pancreas beta cells release glucagon and it
activates liver cells to release glucose
– A yeast cell initiates a nearby cell to fuse for sexual
reproduction
• Name the two basic types of receptors and their
location.
• How can a small, nonpolar signal molecule
directly activate a gene?
• What does it indicate that most organisms have
similar structured intracellular receptors?
Identify the receptor and determine its type of the following
cell signaling pathways:
• How can a target cell’s response to a single
signal molecule result in a response that affects
a million other molecules?
• Compare the structure and function of receptor
tyrosine kinases and G protein-linked receptors.
• Humans have the ability to recognize many
different aromatic chemicals by smell even in
very small concentrations. For example, the
majority of humans can detect chlorine at a
concentration of about 0.3 ppm (0.3 molecules
in one million other molecules).
– What characteristics of the olfactory cells would
you look for to explain this?
– Dogs are known to have a much better sense of
smell than humans. Given this, what differences
may exist in their olfactory system as compared to
humans?
• What are hormones?
• What is the difference between endocrine and
neurosecretory signals?
• What are pheromones? How are they used for
animal communication? What type of
communication are they used for?
• Differentiate between the release and transport
of a water soluble and fat soluble hormone.
• Differentiate between the action of a water
soluble and fat soluble hormone on the target
cell.
• Describe how the body responds to a stressor.
• Describe the hormonal mechanism that results
in stress response.
• Describe the nervous mechanism that results in
stress response.
• Describe the hormone pathway for one specific
negative feedback mechanism.
• Describe the hormone pathway for one specific
positive feedback mechanism.
• Name the structure of one specific hormone,
the type of receptor, transduction pathway and
response that it generates in the target cell.
• Draw and label the parts of a neuron.
• Name two types of glial cells and describe their
general function.
• Describe three types of neurons.
• How can a hormone have different responses in
different cells?
• List three evolutionary trends of nervous system
formation in animals. Describe each
• List the types of ions and their locations that
participate in forming the resting potential.
• List and describe the functions of various
transport proteins that participate in forming
membrane potential in neurons.
• Why is the resting potential negative inside the
neuron?
• Why doesn’t action potential and depolarization
mean the same thing?
• What is a threshold?
• How might increased branching of the axon help
coordinate responses to signals by the nervous
system?
• Suppose a cell’s membrane potential shifts from
-70mV to -50mV. What changes in the cell’s
permeability of K and Na ions can cause such a shift?
• Suppose a mutation caused gated sodium ion
channels to remain inactivated longer after an action
potential. How would this affect the frequency at
which action potentials could be generated? Explain.
• Some nerve gases and insect poisons work by
destroying acetylcholine esterase. This enzyme
normally present in acetylcholine synapses and
acts to degrade acetylcholine. What is likely to
happen to nervous transmission in organisms
that are exposed to this kind of poison?
• Tetrodotoxin in pufferfish block the Na+ ion
channels in neurons. What specific effects
could this toxin have on neuron function?
• Name two factors that can determine if an
action potential is generated on the
postsynaptic membrane.
• How does the central nervous system differ
from the peripheral nervous system in structure
and function?
• Name the two subdivisions of the peripheral
nervous system. Describe the function of each.
• Name the subdivisions of the autonomic
nervous system and describe their functions.