What is it about?
The proposal of receptor-receptor interactions (RRIs) in the early 1980s broadened the view on the role of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) in the dynamics of the intercellular communication. RRIs, indeed, allow GPCR to operate not only as monomers but also as receptor complexes, in which the integration of the incoming signals depends on the number, spatial arrangement, and order of activation of the protomers forming the complex.
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Why is it important?
These findings may allow the development of new pharmacological strategies targeting the receptor complexes instead of the single receptor monomers. This approach could be of particular importance for the therapy of significant diseases of the central nervous system
Perspectives
The possibility of receptor-receptor interactions indicates that intercellular communication between cells is more complex than previously considered, allowing some signal processing already at the plasma membrane level . This opens new exciting research perspectives in neurophysiology.
Dr. Diego Guidolin
Universita degli Studi di Padova
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: G protein-coupled receptor-receptor interactions give integrative dynamics to intercellular communication, Reviews in the Neurosciences, February 2018, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2017-0087.
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