Related papers: Communication over the network of binary switches …
G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a major gatekeeper of extracellular signals on plasma membrane, are unarguably one of the most important therapeutic targets. Given the recent discoveries of allosteric modulations, an allosteric wiring…
Water molecules inside G-protein coupled receptor have recently been spotlighted in a series of crystal structures. To decipher the dynamics and functional roles of internal waters in GPCR activity, we studied A$_{\text{2A}}$ adenosine…
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are central to cellular information processing, yet the physical principles governing their switching behavior remain incompletely understood. We present a first principles theoretical framework, grounded…
Modulation of the properties of AMPA receptors at the post-synaptic membrane is one of the main suggested mechanisms behind synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system of vertebrates. Electrophysiological recordings of single channels…
Eukaryotic cells transmit extracellular signal information to cellular interiors through the formation of a ternary complex made up of a ligand (or agonist), G-protein, and G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR). Previously formalized theories…
Neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1), a member of the Class A G protein-coupled receptor superfamily, plays an important role in modulating dopaminergic neuronal activity and eliciting opioid-independent analgesia. Recent studies suggest that…
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute a large family of receptor proteins that sense molecular signals on the exterior of a cell and activate signal transduction pathways within the cell. Modeling how an agonist activates such a…
The G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activated by the neurotransmitter GABA is made up of two subunits, GABA(B1) and GABA(B2). GABA(B1) binds agonists, whereas GABA(B2) is required for trafficking GABA(B1) to the cell surface, increasing…
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent a diverse and vital family of membrane proteins that mediate intracellular signaling in response to extracellular stimuli, playing critical roles in physiology and disease. Traditionally…
G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) produce pleiotropic effects by their capacity to engage numerous signaling pathways once activated. Functional selectivity (also called biased signaling), where specific compounds can bring GPCRs to adopt…
Many signalling functions in molecular biology require proteins bind to substrates such as DNA in response to environmental signals such as the simultaneous binding to a small molecule. Examples are repressor proteins which may transmit…
Allosteric transcription factors undergo binding events both at their inducer binding sites as well as at distinct DNA binding domains, and it is often difficult to disentangle the structural and functional consequences of these two classes…
Photoproteins such as bacteriorhodopsin (bR) and rhodopsin (Rho) need to effectively dissipate photoinduced excess energy to prevent their damage. Another well-studied G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) containing 7 transmembrane (TM)…
Allosteric signaling in biological molecules, which may be viewed as specific action at a distance due to localized perturbation upon binding of ligands or changes in environmental cues, is pervasive in biology. Phenomenological MWC and KNF…
The gamma-aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptor is an allosteric complex made of two subunits, GABAB1 (GB1) and GABAB2 (GB2). Both subunits are composed of an extracellular Venus flytrap domain (VFT) and a heptahelical domain (HD). GB1…
Adenosine receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors involved in a wide range of physiological and pathological phenomena in most mammalian systems. All four receptors are widely expressed in the central nervous system, where they modulate…
Understanding the link between structure and function in proteins is fundamental in molecular biology and proteomics. A central question in this context is whether allostery - where the binding of a molecule at one site affects the activity…
Signal transduction within biological cells is governed by networks of interacting proteins. Communication between these proteins is mediated by signaling molecules which bind to receptors and induce stochastic transitions between different…
Many instances of cellular signaling and transcriptional regulation involve switch-like molecular responses to the presence or absence of input ligands. To understand how these responses come about and how they can be harnessed, we develop…
Riboswitches are structured mRNA elements that modulate gene expression. They undergo conformational changes triggered by highly specific interactions with sensed metabolites. Among the structural rearrangements engaged by riboswitches, the…