Phosphatases are a family of enzymes that remove phosphate groups from specific proteins; these phosphate groups had been added to the proteins by protein kinases. Vanadate is an inhibitor of phosphatases in eukaryotic cells. What effect would vanadate have on the response of cells to signals received by receptor kinases?
A)The response of the cell would last longer than it normally would.
B)The response of the cell would be shorter than it normally would.
C)The signal would still bind the receptor, so there would be no effect.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Vanadate inhibits phosphatases, which are responsible for removing phosphate groups from proteins. Since phosphatases counteract the action of kinases by removing phosphate groups, inhibiting phosphatases would prevent the dephosphorylation of proteins. This means that proteins that have been phosphorylated in response to a signal would remain phosphorylated for longer, prolonging the cell's response to that signal.

Phosphatases Are a Family of Enzymes That Remove Phosphate Groups