How proteins find one another
As crucial drug targets, G-protein-coupled receptors are responsible for the effectiveness of nearly half of all medicines prescribed today. GPCRs are integral membrane proteins that control and modulate the processing of sensory and physiological stimuli, such as those relevant to our sight and taste, or those involved in controlling our heart rate. Arrestins play a key role in controlling the activity and signal transduction of GPCRs inside the cells of the body. "GPCRs are the target of a wide variety of drug-based treatments, which is why it is so important for us to understand their structure and function, and to fully understand how these membrane proteins interact at the molecular level. In order to develop better drugs with fewer side effects, this knowledge is necessary," explains Dr. Martha Sommer, who chairs the Arrestin Working Group at Charité's Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics. Some of the side effects that occur with certain medicines (such ...