AI Article Synopsis
- GPCRs are essential cell surface receptors that play a key role in communicating signals from hormones and neurotransmitters throughout the body.
- The study of GPCRs has historically relied on pharmacological and biochemical techniques, but new optical methods like FRET and single-molecule microscopy are now enabling groundbreaking discoveries.
- This review highlights recent applications of these optical techniques to better understand the spatial organization and dynamics of GPCR signaling, addressing important unresolved questions in the field.
Article Abstract
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), located on the surface of virtually every cell in our organism, mediate the effects of many hormones and neurotransmitters. Although GPCRs have been extensively studied for more than 4 decades using pharmacological and biochemical methods, the recent introduction of optical methods such as fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and single-molecule microscopy is fostering novel and important discoveries in the field. Here, we review the use of such optical methods, focusing on some recent examples of their application to important and still unresolved questions concerning the spatial organisation and dynamics of GPCR signalling.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1384523 | DOI Listing |
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