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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Dissecting signaling and functions of adhesion G protein-coupled receptors

Helgi B. SchiöthAndré M. GoffinetKelly R. MonkThue W. SchwartzMartin StaceyXianhua PiaoGabriela AustLei XuRobert J. KittelInes LiebscherYuri A. UshkaryovDavide CalebiroSimone PrömelHsi-hsien LinJörg HamannFelix B. EngelCaroline J. FormstoneAlexander G. PetrenkoDemet AraçTobias LangenhanUwe WolfrumManja Wobus

subject

Tumor biologyGeneral NeuroscienceAdhesionComputational biologyBiologyGeneral Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular BiologyCell biologyGPR56History and Philosophy of ScienceHuman genomeSignal transductionCell adhesionReceptorhormones hormone substitutes and hormone antagonistsG protein-coupled receptor

description

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise an expanded superfamily of receptors in the human genome. Adhesion class G protein-coupled receptors (adhesion-GPCRs) form the second largest class of GPCRs. Despite the abundance, size, molecular structure, and functions in facilitating cell and matrix contacts in a variety of organ systems, adhesion-GPCRs are by far the most poorly understood GPCR class. Adhesion-GPCRs possess a unique molecular structure, with extended N-termini containing various adhesion domains. In addition, many adhesion-GPCRs are autoproteolytically cleaved into an N-terminal fragment (NTF, NT, α-subunit) and C-terminal fragment (CTF, CT, β-subunit) at a conserved GPCR autoproteolysis-inducing (GAIN) domain that contains a GPCR proteolysis site (GPS). These two features distinguish adhesion-GPCRs from other GPCR classes. Though active research on adhesion-GPCRs in diverse areas, such as immunity, neuroscience, and development and tumor biology has been intensified in the recent years, the general biological and pharmacological properties of adhesion-GPCRs are not well known, and they have not yet been used for biomedical purposes. The "6th International Adhesion-GPCR Workshop," held at the Institute of Physiology of the University of Wurzburg on September 6-8, 2012, assembled a majority of the investigators currently actively pursuing research on adhesion-GPCRs, including scientists from laboratories in Europe, the United States, and Asia. The meeting featured the nascent mechanistic understanding of the molecular events driving the signal transduction of adhesion-GPCRs, novel models to evaluate their functions, and evidence for their involvement in human disease.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06820.x