Dr Julia Drube (left) and Raphael Haider analyze the regulation of G protein-coupled receptors. Image: Michael Szabó/UKJ
Dr Julia Drube ( left ) and Raphael Haider analyze the regulation of G protein-coupled receptors. Image: Michael Szabó/UKJ - Researchers from Jena and Bonn have developed a cell system to analyze the regulation of G protein-coupled receptors. To prevent overstimulation, these pharmacologically important receptors can be inactivated by specific enzymes inside the cell. That desensitization mechanism is suspected of playing a crucial role for habituation on painkillers or anti-asthmatics. The toolbox, presented now in Nature Communications, enables the receptor-specific systematic elucidation of desensitization, which can provide important knowledge on tolerance development in drug candidates. They are the special focus of drug research - G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). These large protein molecules are located in the cell membranes and pass on their signals into the cell via the G proteins from which they are named.
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