Using NMR spectroscopy, the team mapped the arrangement of atoms in a protein called CXCR1, which detects the inflammatory signal interleukin 8 and, through a G protein located inside the cell, triggers a cascade of events that can mobilize immune cells, for example. Because G protein-coupled receptors are critical for many cellular responses to external signals, they have been a major target for drugs. More precise knowledge of the shapes of these receptors will allow drugmakers to tailor small molecules to better fit specific targets, avoiding collateral hits that can cause detrimental side effects. "This finding will have a major impact on structure-based drug development since for the first time the principal class of drug receptors can be studied in their biologically active forms where they interact with other proteins and potential drugs," said Stanley Opella, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego who led the work, which Nature published online October 21st in advance of the print edition. Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-3d-unmodified-protein-coupled-receptor-natural.html#jCp or click on the image or title for more info.
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