Men have taste receptors on the testicles in their scrotums.

A new study has identified a set of cellular receptors for at least three related alphaviruses shared across mosquitoes, humans, and animals that host the virus.

Serotonin (5-HT) is one of the main neurotransmitters in the human central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. It helps regulate appetite, memory, cognition and mood through serotonin receptors (5-HTR).

MIT neuroscientist Ann Graybiel reports that mice need the cannabinoid receptor CB1R to establish connections within the brain's dopamine system that take shape soon after birth. The finding raises concern that marijuana use by nursing moms might interfere with brain development.

A new study argues the neurotransmitter GABA and its principal receptors could play a key role in managing depressive disorders.

Leclerc et al. report that circulating insulin activates cerebral insulin receptors (INSR) located on brain capillary endothelial cells forming the blood–brain

In findings with implications for future therapies in chronic kidney disease, mouse studies show a protective effect of glucagon receptor signaling in the kidney.

Nearly all vital functions in the human body are regulated by so-called G protein-coupled receptors on the cell surface. These receptors thus serve as attractive drug targets to treat various diseases. Researchers have now discovered that empty spaces inside these receptors are important for their activation and thus for relaying messages to the inner cell. Their approach to locate these voids may help to direct…

0 votes et 1 commentaire jusqu'à présent sur Reddit

Proteins are like machines. For some diseases, it can be useful to turn these machine off or on when they are too active or not active enough. One way to control switching in a protein, such as a nuclear receptor, is to put a drug "in the pocket" of the drug. For her Ph.D. research, Iris van de Gevel looked at controlling two receptors: RORγt, a receptor that is overactive in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid…

A new study reveals the oligomeric molecular structure of the MOR-Gal1R complex, a component present in the brain which is involved in the analgesic and addictive effects of certain opioids.

Proteins that act like air traffic controllers, managing the flow of signals in and out of human cells, have been observed for the first time with unprecedented detail using advanced microscopy techniques.

In a leap forward for diabetes research, researchers reveal that the feel-good hormone, dopamine, regulates insulin secretion through a heteromeric complex of receptors, thereby providing new targets for antidiabetic medication and therapy. The study is the first to elucidate the mechanism behind dopamine's down-regulation of insulin secretion.

A drug that is approved for treating gallstones and liver conditions inhibits cells' ACE2 receptors, which the coronavirus' spike protein binds to

0 votes and 4 comments so far on Reddit

Biosensors are developed from malleable hormone receptors.

Sex pheromones are vital in facilitating the chemical communication that underpins insect courtship and mating behavior. Among female American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana), two key volatile sex pheromone components, periplanone-A (PA) and periplanone-B (PB), are predominantly released. Previous studies have indicated that PB is the primary component, but the precise interplay between PA and PB, alongside…

By some estimates, the human nose can detect up to a trillion different smells with its hundreds of scent receptors. But even just catching a quick whiff of certain chemicals known as nerve agents can be lethal, even in tiny amounts. Researchers reporting in ACS Sensors have developed a sensitive and selective nerve gas sensor using these human scent receptors. It reliably detected a substitute for deadly sarin gas…

0 votes et 1 commentaire jusqu'à présent sur Reddit

Taste receptors for bitter substances are not only found on the tongue but also on cells outside the oral cavity. As a new study by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich now shows, extraoral bitter taste receptors could also serve as endogenous sensors for bile acids.