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cAMP (cyclic AMP)

cAMP is a small chemical messenger made inside cells. When a hormone switches on a receptor on the outside, the cell makes cAMP, which carries the message to the parts of the cell that act on it. Scientists call it a second messenger because the hormone is the first.

For experts

Cyclic AMP is formed by the enzyme adenyl cyclase after receptor activation and was identified by Sutherland as the intracellular second messenger of hormones such as epinephrine (Nobel Prize, 1971). The GLP-1 receptor signals mainly through the stimulatory G protein Gs, and in pancreatic beta cells it is coupled to cAMP production and enhanced glucose-dependent insulin release.

Sources (3)

  1. 01The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1971 - Press release (cyclic AMP as second messenger)Karolinska Institutet / NobelPrize.org · 1971-10 · accessed 2026-09-29
  2. 02Identification and characterization of GLP-1 receptor-expressing cells using a new transgenic mouse modelDiabetes (PubMed Central, NCBI/NLM) · 2014-04 · accessed 2026-09-29
  3. 03Cryo-EM structure of the activated GLP-1 receptor in complex with a G proteinNature (indexed in PubMed, NCBI/NLM) · 2017-06-08 · accessed 2026-09-29