Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Measuring G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling via Radio-labeled GTP Binding
Published on: June 9, 2017
Seven transmembrane receptors: a brief personal retrospective
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA. lefko001@receptor-biol.duke.edu
Abstract:
Receptors have fascinated biologists for more than a century and they have fascinated me for the entirety of my own research career. The seven transmembrane receptors, also known as G protein coupled receptors, represent the largest of the several families of plasma membrane receptors, comprising more than a thousand genes and regulating virtually all known physiological processes in mammals. Moreover, they represent one of the commonest targets of currently used drugs. I have spent the entirety of my research career working on these receptors. Here I set down some personal reflections on the evolution of the field during the past 35 years, hanging the thread of the story on some of the work from my own laboratory.
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