Abstract
Information flow from a source to a receiver becomes informative when the recipient can process the signal into a meaningful form. Information exchange and interpretation is essential in biology and understanding how cells integrate signals from a variety of information-coding molecules into complex orchestrated responses is a major challenge for modern cell biology. In complex organisms, cell to cell communication occurs mostly through neurotransmitters and hormones, and receptors are responsible for signal recognition at the membrane level and information transduction inside the cell. The G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane receptors, with nearly 800 genes coding for these proteins. The recognition that GPCRs may physically interact with each other has led to the hypothesis that their dimeric state can provide the framework for temporal coincidence in signaling pathways. Furthermore, the formation of GPCRs higher order oligomers provides the structural basis for organizing distinct cell compartments along the plasma membrane where confined increases in second messengers may be perceived and discriminated. Here, we summarize evidence that supports these conjectures, fostering new ideas about the physiological role played by receptor homo- and hetero-oligomerization in cell biology.
Highlights
Communication in biology is the process of moving information from a source to a receiver and, information becomes “informative” only if it can be processed in a meaningful form from the receiver
Cells express several families of receptors that can be roughly divided into three main categories: the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) [1], the ligand gated ion channel receptors [2] and the enzyme-linked tyrosine kinase receptors [3]
The interactions resulted in bidirectional inhibition with the mGluR5 receptor decreasing NMDA receptor mediated currents, and reciprocally, the NMDA receptors reducing the ability of the mGluR5 to induce intracellular calcium. Another well characterized interaction is between the dopamine D3 receptor and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that was shown by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) studies, where the D3 receptor directly and interacted with the β2 subunit of the nAChR [67]
Summary
Communication in biology is the process of moving information from a source to a receiver and, information becomes “informative” only if it can be processed in a meaningful form from the receiver. Cells express several families of receptors that can be roughly divided into three main categories: the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) [1], the ligand gated ion channel receptors [2] and the enzyme-linked tyrosine kinase receptors [3]. These three receptor families subserve different functions in the cells. The activation of ligand gated ion channel receptors increases the plasma membrane permeability to ions and allows a very rapid exchange of ions between the extra- and the intra- cellular environments triggering fast cell responses. This review mainly focuses on GPCRs and their ability to integrate stimuli, while function and interactions of the other two families of receptors will be discussed briefly
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