Cells of complex organisms communicate with each other by sending molecular signals. These signals can be classified by their solubility properties. Hydrophilic signals, in the form of peptides or small hydrophilic molecules, interact with extracellular receptors located on the surface of target cells. Binding of ligand to its receptor leads to transduction of an intracellular signal via a second messenger. Lipophilic signals (steroids, vitamin D$ sb3$, thyroid hormone, and retinoids) traverse the plasma membrane and bind to specific intracellular proteins, known collectively as nuclear receptors, rendering them active. These ligand-receptor complexes then regulate the transcription of target genes. In this thesis, transcriptional regulation by two different systems has been studied. First, recent evidence suggests that expression of the parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) gene is sensitive to elevated levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Second, vitamin D$ sb3$ is activated in the kidney by hydroxylation and functions by diffusing across the plasma membrane of target cells and binding the vitamin D$ sb3$ receptor (VDR). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.69734 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | Ferrara, Giovanni Antonio |
| Contributors | White, J. H. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Physiology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001351437, proquestno: AAIMM91850, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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