CYCLIC AMP

Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate is a hydrophilic secondary messenger that is part of the cellular signal transduction pathway. It is produced by enzymatic methods on the molecule ATP by the enzyme adenylyl cyclase. It interacts with receptor proteins on the surface of a cell membrane following an intracellular signal produced by hormones or neurotransmitters. Cyclic AMP activates Protein Kinase A (PKA) catalytic ability. This activated PKA molecule transfers phosphate from ATP to different amino acid sequences. These phosphorylated amino acids can regulate calcium ion channels allowing calcium to move across the cellular membrane. (1)