The arrestin-GPCR connection

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the "inbox" of environmental messages in mammalian cells. Because of their central role in signaling pathways, mutations resulting in abnormal GPCR functions cause a wide variety of ...

New possible target for treating major common diseases

There is a large, untapped potential for developing drugs against cancer, fibrosis and cardiovascular diseases by targeting a family of receptors known as Frizzleds, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden believe. ...

Gip1 structure places G proteins in lockdown

Heterotrimeric G proteins are important in G protein-coupled receptor signaling, which plays many roles in the detection of various environmental stimuli, including hormones, neurotransmitters, light, smells, and chemical ...

Cryo-EM reveals structure and mechanism of the 5-HT3 receptor

In November 2017, a Titan Krios cryo-electron microscope (cryo-EM) was inaugurated at the ESRF, the European Synchrotron, France. Data collected on this cryo-EM features in a Nature publication describing the activation cycle ...

A step ahead in pharmaceutical research

Hormones and other neurotransmitters, but also drugs, act upon receptors. "Their active substances bind to the receptors and modify the three-dimensional receptor arrangement regulating the downstream signal pathways," says ...

Scientists alter membrane proteins to make them easier to study

About 30 percent of the proteins encoded by the human genome are membrane proteins—proteins that span the cell membrane so they can facilitate communication between cells and their environment. These molecules are critical ...

Cryo-EM reveals interaction between major drug targets

For the first time, scientists have visualized the interaction between two critical components of the body's vast cellular communication network, a discovery that could lead to more effective medications with fewer side effects ...

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