[Progress in adrenoceptor research]

According to pharmacological characteristics and molecular cloning, adrenoceptor is divided into 3 types, and each type contains at least 3 subtypes. The molecular structure of adrenoceptor fits common model of G protein coupled receptors on membrane surface. The structure-function relationship has been basically elucidated by mutation techniques. The ligand binding characteristics are decided by the structures in transmembrane domains, while the G protein coupling sites are in the third intracellular loop. There are extensive crosstalks among the subtypes of adrenoceptor. According to the mechanisms, the crosstalks can be divided into 4 types.