G蛋白偶联受体二聚化研究进展

G蛋白偶联受体是细胞膜受体最大的家族，参与调节多种生理过程，在信号识别及转导中具有重要作用，传统观点认为G蛋白偶联受体作为单体起作用，近年来，越来越多的证据表明，G蛋白偶联受体不仅能以二聚体形式存在，而且在细胞信号转导中起重要作用，尤其是对阿片受体异源二聚体的研究，推动了这一领域的研究。本文综述了G蛋白偶联受体二聚化研究进展，以及同源和异源二聚体的结构与功能。

Progress in research of G protein-coupled receptors dimerization

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of cell surface recep- tors involved in diverse physiological processes. It plays important roles in signal recognition and transduction. They are generally believed to function as monomeric units. However, increasing evidences suggested that not only do GPCRs dimers exist but that they might also play impor- tant roles in signal transduction. The studies especially in heterodimerization of opioid receptors promote the process of this field. In this paper, we review the history of experiments as well as the structure and function of their homodimers and heterodimers.