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Shifting our perspective on orphan G protein-coupled receptors

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 31, pages 582–583 (2024)Cite this article

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G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) with no known endogenous ligand are termed orphans. Deorphanization of a GPCR involves identifying the ligand, which can be a painstaking exercise. In this Comment, we discuss the challenges in the process, its role in drug discovery and alternative approaches to characterizing orphan GPCRs.

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Acknowledgements

Wellcome Trust (205862/Z/16/Z to F.M.) and TENOVUS (G20.09 to F.M.)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Orphan Receptor Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Nicola J. Smith

  2. Institute of Medical Science, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

    Fiona Murray

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  1. Nicola J. Smith
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  2. Fiona Murray
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Correspondence to Nicola J. Smith or Fiona Murray.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Smith, N.J., Murray, F. Shifting our perspective on orphan G protein-coupled receptors. Nat Struct Mol Biol 31, 582–583 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-024-01270-1

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