Receptor (biochemistry)
hideIn biochemistry, a receptor is a protein molecule, embedded in either the plasma membrane or cytoplasm of a cell, to which a mobile signaling (or "signal") molecule may attach. A molecule which binds to a receptor is called a "ligand," and may be a peptide (such as a neurotransmitter), a hormone, a pharmaceutical drug, or a toxin, and when such binding occurs, the receptor undergoes a conformational change which ordinarily initiates a cellular response. However, some ligands merely block receptors without inducing any response (e.g. antagonists). Ligand-induced changes in receptors result in physiological changes which constitute the biological activity of the ligands.
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News tagged with cell receptor
Tapeworm Drug May Hold Promise For Colon Cancer, Future Research
Nov 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered an already-FDA-approved compound that can effectively “silence” a cell receptor shown to interfere with chemotherapy.
Study reveals a 'missing link' in immune response to disease (w/ Video)
Nov 02, 2009 |
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The immune system's T cells have the unique responsibilities of being both jury and executioner. They examine other cells for signs of disease, including cancers or infections, and, if such evidence is found, ...
Stress-induced changes in brain circuitry linked to cocaine relapse
Oct 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Stress-evoked changes in circuits that regulate serotonin in certain brain regions can precipitate a low mood and a relapse in cocaine-seeking.
ID3 provides career counseling for blood progenitors, driving the creation of gamma-delta T cells
Oct 15, 2009 |
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Like an unusually forceful career counselor, the Id3 protein decides the fate of a given white blood cell precursor, according to researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Their findings, published today in the journal Immunity, de ...
New Cellular Therapy for HIV in World's First Engineered T Cell Receptor Trial
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Oct 07, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Adaptimmune Limited and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, today announced the approval of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the US Food and ...
Scientists Discover A New Protein Partnership That Leads To Pediatric Tumor Regression
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Why are some pediatric cancers able to spontaneously regress? Prof. Michael Fainzilber and his team of the Weizmann Institute's Biological Chemistry Department seem to have unexpectedly found part of the ...
Flexible neck in cell-receptor DC-SIGN targets more pathogens
Jul 14, 2009 |
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Pathogen recognition is the foundation of the body's immune response and survival against infection. A small cell-receptor protein called DC-SIGN is part of the immune system, and recognizes certain pathogens, including those ...
Scientists uncover a novel mechanism controlling tumor growth in the brain
Jun 08, 2009 |
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As survival rates among some patients with cancer continue to rise, so does the spread of these cancers to the brain - as much as 40 percent of all diagnosed brain cancers are considered metastatic, having spread from a ...
New tag could enable more detailed structural studies of mammalian proteins
May 07, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- To say our genes are resourceful is a gross understatement. Through ingenious combinations of a paltry 20 amino acids, the basic building blocks of life, genes engineer all of the tissues and organs that ...
A novel method of isolating high quality RNA from Kupffer cells
Apr 17, 2009 |
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Kupffer cells, resident tissue macrophages that line the liver sinusoids, play a key role in modulating inflammation in a number of experimental models of liver injury. Since Kupffer cells represent only a small portion of ...
First genome-wide expression analysis yields better understanding of how leukemia develops
Feb 09, 2009 |
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In a collaborative study published Feb. 9, 2009, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), scientists performed a genome-wide expression analysis comparing highly enriched normal blood stem cells and le ...
Researchers may have found why women have an edge on salt-sensitive hypertension
Jan 28, 2009 |
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Researchers may have found why women have an edge in keeping a healthier balance between the amount of salt they eat and excrete - at least before reaching menopause.
Scientists find new structural motif in key enzymes is essential to prevent autoimmune disease
Jan 16, 2009 |
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Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute and the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation have found a specific mutation that leads to the development of severe autoimmune kidney disease in mice. The research ...
Discovery could help scientists stop the "death cascade" of neurons after a stroke
Biology /
Jan 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Distressed swimmers often panic, sapping the strength they need to keep their heads above water until help arrives. When desperate for oxygen, neurons behave in a similar way. They freak out, stupidly discharging ...
Research identifies cell receptor as target for anti-inflammatory immune response
Nov 26, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Invading pathogens provoke a series of molecular heroics that, when successful, muster an army of antibodies to neutralize the threat. Like with any close-quarter combat, however, an aggressive ...
