Biologia Celular: Pesquisa e Terapia

Tracing Amines to their Receptors: A Synopsis in Light of Recent Literature

Agne Babusyte and Dietmar Krautwurst

Tracing Amines to their Receptors: A Synopsis in Light of Recent Literature

Trace amine-associated receptors (TAAR) have been an elusive species of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), so far, mainly because of their suboptimal expression in heterologous cell systems. Little connection could be established between the namegiving low physiological concentrations of their putative amine agonists, and their tissue-specific biological function. At the same time, there is growing evidence that suggests ectopic expression of certain TAAR, beyond their supposed typical tissue expression as olfactory receptors in the olfactory epithelium, at least in mice.