Depiction of the AT2 Receptor (IMAGE)

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Depiction of the AT2 Receptor

Caption

A depiction of the AT2 receptor (gray spirals and filaments) extending through a cell membrane; the blue ovals represent the membrane's inner and outer surfaces. A potential drug compound is bound into the receptor's exterior pocket (yellow) stabilizing the receptor in an active-like conformation. This would normally lead to activation of G-proteins and spreading a signal throughout the cell. But in the case of AT2, the place where G-proteins dock to receive the signal is blocked by a spiral-shaped helix (orange) that is part of the receptor. This new detail helps explain why AT2 receptors do not bind and activate G-proteins, but instead likely transmit the signal inside the cell via other yet unknown mechanisms.

Credit

Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

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