Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Measuring G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling via Radio-labeled GTP Binding
Published on: June 9, 2017
Postgenomic characterization of G-protein-coupled receptors
Inge Mertens1, Anick Vandingenen, Tom Meeusen
1Laboratory of Developmental Physiology, Genomics and Proteomics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. inge.mertens@bio.kuleuven.ac.be
Abstract:
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute one of the largest families of membrane-spanning proteins. Their importance in drug development has been proven over and over again. Therefore, they remain one of the most significant groups of molecules to be characterized. In the postgenomic era, the methods used for the characterization of GPCRs have dramatically changed: the predicted orphan receptors are now often used to ascertain the ligands (reverse pharmacology), whereas, in the past, the bioactive ligand was used to identify the receptor (classic approach). In this review, we will give an overview of the recent postgenomic functional assays that are frequently used to link the orphan GPCR of both vertebrate and invertebrate organisms with their ligands.
Related Concept Videos
G-protein Coupled Receptors
G-protein Coupled Receptors
G Protein-coupled Receptors
GPCRs are also called heptahelical, 7TM, or serpentine receptors, and consist of seven (H1-H7) transmembrane alpha-helices that span the bilayer to form a cylindrical core. The transmembrane helices are connected by three extracellular loops and three...
G Protein-coupled Receptors
GPCRs are also called heptahelical, 7TM, or serpentine receptors, and consist of seven (H1-H7) transmembrane alpha-helices that span the bilayer to form a cylindrical core. The transmembrane helices are connected by three extracellular loops and three...
Transducer Mechanism: G Protein–Coupled Receptors
GPCRs are also called heptahelical, 7TM, or...
Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins

