Modeling the Human Adrenergic Receptors

For humans the preferred method of communication is speech, cells however use messengers, like hormones, which are analogous to the words we speak. In place of an ear to hear these cellular “words”, cells have structures on their surfaces that are known as receptors. Receptors act to transmit a message from the “outside” or extra cellular environment of a cell to inside the cell allowing various processes to occur. These receptors however are unlike our own ears in that they do not “hear” every message that is sent, so multiple kinds of receptors are necessary for a cell to function. One of the largest receptor classes is the G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) Superfamily. This family represents over 1000 different subtypes of receptors that play a role in controlling virtually every process the human body undertakes. Therefore, drugs that target these receptors have the potential to have a tremendous impact on a person’s health. In fact, current drug therapies that target GPCRs include Claritin, Cozaar, Plavix and Singulair. Specifically the Adrenergic Receptors have been found to play a role in such diverse body processes as smooth muscle contraction, locomotion, and hypertension. Thus developing compounds that effectively turn-on and off these receptors could be extremely beneficial, however random testing of compounds to achieve these goals would be extremely time consuming and costly with very little likelihood of success. These odds are improved substantially through the use of Rational Drug Design. To that end, our research has focused on developing computer based models of the Human Adrenergic Receptors for use in guiding drug development