Academic Integrity: tutoring, explanations, and feedback — we don’t complete graded work or submit on a student’s behalf.

Acetylcholine binds to a GPCR on heart muscle, making the heart beat more slowly

ID: 79021 • Letter: A

Question

Acetylcholine binds to a GPCR on heart muscle, making the heart beat more slowly. The activated receptor stimulates a G protein, which opens a K+ channel in the plasma membrane, as shown in Figure 1. Which of the following would enhance this effect of the acetylcholine?

(a) addition of a high concentration of a non-hydrolyzable analog of GTP

(b) addition of a drug that prevents the subunit from exchanging GDP for GTP

(c) mutations in the acetylcholine receptor that weaken the interaction between the receptor and acetylcholine

(d) mutations in the acetylcholine receptor that weaken the interaction between the receptor and the G protein

acetylcholine At complex plasma membrane EXTRACELLULAR SPACE CYTOSOL GTP GDP G protei activated CHANNEL OPENING INACTIVATIO closed K channel K channe osed K cha

Explanation / Answer

The answer is 'a'

The non-hydrolyzable analog of GTP is responsible for activation of the acetylcholine