Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

A division of labor: asymmetric roles for GPCR subunits in receptor dimers

The functional architecture of dimeric or oligomeric GPCR signaling remains incompletely understood. Using a clever combination of receptor–G protein fusions and various receptor mutations, new research provides a glimpse into how oligomers might be arranged with respect to the G proteins they interact with.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Asymmetry of receptor subunits in dimeric GPCRs.

References

  1. Pin, J.P. et al. FEBS J. 272, 2947–2955 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Wellendorph, P. & Brauner-Osborne, H. Br. J. Pharmacol. 156, 869–884 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Whorton, M.R. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 7682–7687 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Whorton, M.R. et al. J. Biol. Chem. 283, 4387–4394 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Han, Y., Moreira, I.S., Urizar, E., Weinstein, H. & Javitch, J.A. Nat. Chem. Biol. 5, 688–695 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Banères, J.L. & Parello, J. J. Mol. Biol. 329, 815–829 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kenakin, T. Mol. Pharmacol. 72, 1393–1401 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dupré, D.J., Robitaille, M., Rebois, R.V. & Hébert, T.E. Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 49, 31–56 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Rebois, R.V. et al. J. Cell Sci. 119, 2807–2818 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ma, A.W., Redka, D.S., Pisterzi, L.F., Angers, S. & Wells, J.W. Biochemistry 46, 7907–7927 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ma, A.W., Pawagi, A.B. & Wells, J.W. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 374, 128–133 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Terence E Hébert.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zylbergold, P., Hébert, T. A division of labor: asymmetric roles for GPCR subunits in receptor dimers. Nat Chem Biol 5, 608–609 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio0909-608

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio0909-608

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing