News and Views
Nature Chemical Biology 2, 395 - 396 (2006)
doi:10.1038/nchembio0806-395
Switching modes for G protein–coupled receptor activation
Jean-Pierre Vilardaga1
- Jean-Pierre Vilardaga is in the Endocrine Unit and Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Program in Membrane Biology, The Simches Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street CPZN-8218, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. e-mail: jvilardaga@partners.org
Abstract
Specialized transmembrane proteins known as G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) serve as universal cell surface switches to transmit hormones, neurotransmitter and other extracellular chemical signals into cells. Testing ligands of different efficacies reveals two independent modes of receptor switching.
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