What Is Adenylate Cyclase?
Adenylate cyclase (AC) is an enzyme that is involved in regulating a cell’s response to many hormones. It synthesizes an important cellular regulator that helps amplify signals from outside of the cell. This enzyme is also known as adenylyl cyclase or adenyl cyclase. Some hormones cannot enter cells, and to take affect, they bind to receptors on a cell’s membranes. The hormone-receptor complex transmits a signal to a component inside the cell. For example, when adrenaline binds at the cell membrane, its receptor complex binds to a G protein. This induces a change in the structure of the G protein, which then binds to inactive adenylate cyclase. If the G protein is a stimulating type, this binding activates the adenylate cyclase to catalyze the synthesis of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) from adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
