Urotensin II Receptor Polyclonal Antibody, Invitrogen™

Description

• The Urotensin-II receptor has been reported to be expressed at high levels in the heart and pancreas and also in artery and smooth muscle
• Low transcript levels have been identified in brain, particularly in thalamus, and superior occipital gyrus
• G-protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) comprise one of the largest families of signaling molecules with more than a thousand members currently predicted to exist
• All GPCRs share a structural motif consisting of seven membrane-spanning helices, and exist in both active and inactive forms
• An array of activating ligands participate in the conformation of GPCRs which leads to signaling via G-proteins and downstream effectors
• Ongoing studies have also shown the vast series of reactions which participate in the negative regulation of GPCRs
• This turn-off activity has tremendous implications for the physiological action of the cell, and continues to drive pharmacological research for new drug candidates
• Two blockbuster drugs which have been developed as GPCR-targeted pharmaceuticals are Zyprexa (Eli Lilly) and Claritin (Schering-Plough) which have multi-billion dollar shares of the mental health and allergy markets, respectively.