BBSRC DTG: The characterization of alpha-adrenergic-like biogenic amine G-protein coupled receptors from Amphioxus

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G-protein coupled receptors are proteins in the cell membrane which when activated initiate a cellular response. G-protein coupled receptors are extremely important target sites for the development of novel drugs. At least 70% of the drugs currently used in medicine are targeted at these receptors and mutations in such receptors are increasingly been recognised as important causes of specific diseases.

An analysis of the genome of the cephalochordate Amphioxus, which is predicted to be the most basal living chordate, has identified a range of putative G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). At least eleven of these have structural similarities with vertebrate and invertebrate biogenic amine receptors. This project aims to characterize the five alpha-adrenergic-like GPCRs that have been identified and to determine their pharmacological properties. It will increase our basic knowledge of how cells in nervous systems talk to each other and of the way in which adrenergic receptors have evolved.

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