Thursday, April 12, 2018

The Doorbell to the cell (GPCRs)

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), in humans we have over 8000 of them. Located on the membrane in eukaryotes, these receptors are like a mailbox for different inputs of proteins, sugars, fats (lipids), and light energy. (2) They take in information from either other cells and convey them or information of nutrients. (1) This is a very simplified explanation of that they are and what they do (watered down). These receptors are becoming more important to medicine and pharmaceuticals with being able to understand their function and "how some researchers believe that 1/3 to 1/2 of drugs bind to GPCRs. " (1)

         "It's a huge field of active research in academia and industry because if we can figure out precisely        how GPCRs work, then we can more easily design drugs to change their behavior and thereby                  control pain, hunger, and more," said coauthor Christopher Neale, a researcher with the Center for            Nonlinear Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory. (2)

The Researchers have found that their is a doorbell structure that communicates to the cell of important nearby molecules. They believe that understanding this structure and the function of it will inevitably help in producing better medication. (1),(2),(3)

REFERENCES
(1) https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/gpcr-14047471
(2) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180412102922.htm
(3) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03314-9

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