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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Characterization of G Protein-coupled Receptors by a Fluorescence-based Calcium Mobilization Assay
Published on: July 28, 2014
Time-Resolved FRET-Based Assays to Characterize G Protein-Coupled Receptor Hetero-oligomer Pharmacology
Joyce Heuninck1,2,3, Candide Hounsou1,2,3, Elodie Dupuis4
1CNRS, UMR 5203, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Montpellier, France.
Abstract:
Although G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) oligomerization is a matter of debate, it has been shown that the nature of the GPCR partners within the oligomers can influence the pharmacological properties of the receptors. Therefore, finding specific ligands for homo- or hetero-oligomers opens new perspectives for drug discovery. However, no efficient experimental strategy to screen for such ligands existed yet. Indeed, conventional binding strategies do not discriminate ligand binding on GPCR monomers, homo- or hetero-oligomers. To address this issue, we recently developed a new assay based on a time-resolved FRET method that is easy to implement and that can focus on ligand binding specifically on the hetero-oligomer.
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