This well-known family of seven-transmembrane-domain cell surface receptors respond to many signals, including photons, biogenic amines, lipids, peptides, and proteases. The receptors have many functions, most of them related to homeostatic control of processes such as blood pressure, respiration, and appetite.1 Studied for nearly 30 years, researchers thought they had a decent idea of what GPCRs looked like. "GPCRs have historically been thought to be single polypeptides," says Theresa Branchek, vice president of research at Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corp. Paramus, NJ.
The work at Synaptic Pharmaceuticals grew out of the company's focus on GPCRs in general. The GABA receptors include three types, A, B, and C, and the company focused on GABAB, in part because it is the only one of the three that is a GPCR, and also because Synaptic says it believes that the GABAB receptor will allow them to indirectly modulate pathways, perhaps producing a more subtle and ...
