Novel Mechanisms of Receptor Activation
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 2213
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cholecystokinin receptors; G protein-coupled receptors; singlet oxgen; photodynamic biology; ligand-independent receptor activation; receptor pharmacology; receptor monomerizarion; calcium oscillations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Different types of cells respond to specific external signals via the cell surface and intracellular receptors. Conventional receptor pharmacology includes the binding of both orthosteric and allosteric ligands. Examples of ligand-independent receptor activation and modulations are also abundant and increasingly common; ligand-independent receptor activation is probably equally important. Furthermore, ligand-independent receptor activation could solve important problems not readily addressed by conventional receptor pharmacology. In fact, some spontaneous cellular activities and physiological processes/functions could actually occur due to the non-typical activation of receptors independent of binding by any ligands. In this Special Issue, we wish to bring together work from all areas of receptor activation and receptor pharmacology, identifying unconventional and novel modes and mechanisms of receptor activation and signalling. Target receptors could be G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), or receptors of any other types—both on the surface and in the interiors of cells. Submissions may be from the following and related areas:
- Agonist-stimulated activation of GPCRs;
- Ligand-independent activation of GPCRs;
- Constitutive activation of (viral) GPCRs;
- Photodynamic (light-driven) receptor activation;
- Voltage-driven receptor activation/modulation;
- Oxidative activation of receptors;
- Receptor activation via phosphorylation or other posttranslational modifications;
- Mechanosensitive GPCRs;
- Receptor monomerization/dimerization/oligomerization/clustering;
- Pharmacophores/structural motifs important for receptor activation.
Prof. Dr. Zong Jie Cui
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- G protein-coupled receptors
- nuclear (steroid) hormone receptors
- catalytic receptors
- receptor structural motifs important for activation
- receptor pharmacophores
- structure–function correlates
- cellular functions
- integrated physiology
- compartmentalized GPCRs
- receptor pharmacology
- aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)
- “orphan” GPCRs
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