NSF Award
9019921
Receptors are proteins which act as signal transducers in living organisms. A variety of neurotransmitters and hormones can regulate the activity of a wide range of functions such as maintaining blood pressure and heart rate, learning and memory or vision. A desired response depends on a specific receptor type. Therefore, knowledge of the three dimensional structure of receptor molecules will lead to an understanding of what determines specificity and how the neurotransmitter or hormone is translated by a cell to produce a desired response. Adrenergic receptors translate messages from a group of neurotransmitter and hormones called catecholamines. It has been demonstrated that, by using techniques of genetic engineering, one can make small changes in the receptor protein. This new "engineered" receptor can now response to the slightly different catecholester rather than the catecholamine. In this way one can learn what are the critical "recognition sites" on the receptor and, eventually, what distinguishes the adrenergic receptor from other receptors. This research takes advantage of the fact that the beta- adrenergic receptor (b-AR) is similar in structure to rhodopsin which is the light-sensitive protein in the eye. Again, by using genetic engineering, one can alter the b-AR to respond in a way similar to the light-sensitive receptor. Therefore, light sensitive probes can be used to analyze the structure of the b- AR. This is a simpler and more effective method of studying the structure of receptors. These techniques will provide a better means of studying fundamental biological processes and the molecular basis of disease.
