7 Explain the mechanism of action of adrenaline on the liver cell. [15 marks] 1.

Adrenaline is a non-steroid hormone that is insoluble in lipid and cannot diffuse through the plasma membrane. 2. Adrenaline acts as a first messenger and binds to a specific receptor protein in the plasma membrane. 3. This binding causes a change in conformation in the receptor. 4. This increases the affinity of the receptor to bind with the G-protein in the membrane. 5. Once activated, the G-protein moves to stimulate the enzyme adenyl cyclase. 6. The enzyme, adenyl cyclase catalyses the conversion of ATP to cAMP (cyclic adenine monophosphate) within the liver cell. 7. cAMP acts as a second messenger. 8. It diffuses into the liver cell where it initiates a complex chain reaction. 9. cAMP activates an enzyme that catalyses a reaction which activates another enzyme and so on. 10. This cascade effect where the action of one enzyme in turn activates another enzymatic reaction results in many product molecules. 11. It brings about a rapid and amplified response to the hormone. 12. This reaction ends with the activation of glycogen phosphorylase that catalyses the breakdown of glycogen into glucose phosphate.

8 (a) State the principal target tissue and the action of each of the following female reproductive hormones. [8 marks] (i) Progesterone (i) The target tissue is the endometrium layer in the uterus. The hormone helps to maintain the thickness and vascularisation of the endometrium layer in the uterus as preparation for implantation of blastocyst. (ii) Oestrogen (ii) The target tissue is the endometrium layer in the uterus. The hormone stimulates the thickening and vascularisation of the endometrium of the uterus and the development of glands in the uterine wall after menstruation. (iii) Oxytocin (iii) The target tissue is the uterine muscle or mammary glands. The hormone causes uterine contractions at birth and Stimulates milk flow from the mammary glands. (iv) Prolactin (iv) The target tissue is the mammaryglands. It stimulates mammary glands to secrete milk.

(b) Explain the events involved in the development of a fruit after the process of double fertilisation. [7 marks] 1. After fertilisation, the fertilised ovule develops into a seed. 2. In the embryo sac of a fertilised ovule, there are triploid/endosperm nucleus and a diploid nucleus/zygote. 3. The triploid nucleus divides rapidly by mitosis to form a food store. 4. In monocotyledonous seeds, the endosperm continues to grow and is kept as the seeds food store. 5. In dicotyledonous seeds, the endosperm becomes absorbed by the developing cotyledons which provide the food store for the germinating seed. 6. The zygote in the ovule divides producing two daughter cells of different sizes: terminal cell and basal cell. 7. The large basal cell divides repeatedly to form the suspensor which connects the embryo to the integuments. 8. The smaller terminal cell undergoes repeated division and forms the embryo. The embryo cells then begin to form either one or two cotyledons. 9. Embryo cells between the cotyledons differentiate to form the apical meristem of the shoot, while embryo cells near the suspensor becomes the root apical meristem. 10. The outer integument of the ovule becomes the testa (seed coat). 11. Nutrients for the growing embryo and food store are supplied by the disintegration of surrounding nucellus cells in the embryo sac. 12. The mature ovary becomes the fruit, the outer wall is known as pericarp.