In the cAMP second messenger system, the activated G protein switches on which enzyme?
APhosphodiesterase
BPhospholipase C
CProtein kinase
DAdenylyl cyclase
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Adenylyl cyclase
1. A water-soluble hormone binds a membrane receptor associated with an intracellular G protein.
2. Hormone binding activates the G protein, which activates adenylyl cyclase.
3. Adenylyl cyclase then converts ATP into cAMP, the second messenger.
4. cAMP activates a protein kinase, so the kinase sits one step later in the chain, not next to the G protein.
5. Phosphodiesterase ends the signal by degrading cAMP, and phospholipase C belongs to the calcium pathway instead.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 17 "The Endocrine System", section 17.2 Hormones_
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