Related topics: protein
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 receptors
Enhanced sweet taste: This is your tongue on pot
Dec 22, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
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New findings from the Monell Center and Kyushu University in Japan report that endocannabinoids act directly on taste receptors on the tongue to enhance sweet taste.
Small Fingers More Touch Sensitive
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 16, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
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When it comes to finger sensitivity, bigger isn't always better.
New biosensors reveal workings of anti-psychotic drugs in the living brain
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 13, 2009 |
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Scientists have resolved a question about how a popular class of drugs used to treat schizophrenia works using biosensors that reveal previously hidden components of chemical communication in the brain.
Why King Kong failed to impress
Dec 08, 2009 |
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Humans have the same receptors for detecting odors related to sex as do other apes and primates. But each species uses them in different ways, stemming from the way the genes for these receptors have evolved over time, according ...
Hindering HIV-1-fighting immune cells
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Dec 14, 2009 |
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Immune proteins called HLA molecules help to activate killer T cell responses against pathogens. But according to a study that will be published online on December 14th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, one partic ...
'The pill' for him: Scientists find a hormonal on-and-off switch for male fertility
Nov 30, 2009 |
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A new research report published in the December 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal could one day give men similar type of control over their fertility that women have had since the 1960s. That's because scientists have f ...
