A novel G-protein-coupled receptor-signaling platform and its targeted translation in human disease

Samar Abdulkhalek,1 Michael Hrynyk,2 Myron R Szewczuk11Departments of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, 2Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, CanadaAbstract: Molecular-targeted G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling in human disease has become an important area of scientific and medical research. The interactions between GPCRs with their large number of different G-protein subunits and the large number of glycosylated receptors involved in human diseases are quite diverse. One GPCR is capable of interacting with more than one G protein to initiate multifunctional signaling. However, the activation of a number of GPCRs does not always lead to a direct effect alone on a particular signaling pathway, but rather to an amplification of the response produced by a separate circumstantial signal within the cell. This cross talk among different GPCR transduction signals is a focus of intense research. In this review, evidence exposing the invisible link connecting ligand-binding and receptor activation to a novel GPCR-signaling platform will be reviewed in relation to human disease.Keywords: G-protein-coupled receptors, toll-like receptors, receptor tyrosine kinase, glycosylation, Neu1 sialidase, matrix metalloproteinase 9