Endocrinology & Metabolism

Acetylation: A timekeeper of glucocorticoid sensitivity

Cortisol, also commonly known as the stress hormone, belongs to the family of glucocorticoids. In addition to its physiological function, synthetic derivatives of cortisol are also used as anti-inflammatory drugs. In the ...

Oncology & Cancer

Research points to an immunotherapy to overcome resistant leukemia

Researchers at the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich have discovered that a specific mutation in the cancer cells of an aggressive type of blood cancer can prevent novel immunotherapies such as CAR T-cell ...

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Receptor (biochemistry)

In biochemistry, a receptor is a protein molecule, embedded in either the plasma membrane or cytoplasm of a cell, to which a mobile signaling (or "signal") molecule may attach. A molecule which binds to a receptor is called a "ligand," and may be a peptide (such as a neurotransmitter), a hormone, a pharmaceutical drug, or a toxin, and when such binding occurs, the receptor undergoes a conformational change which ordinarily initiates a cellular response. However, some ligands merely block receptors without inducing any response (e.g. antagonists). Ligand-induced changes in receptors result in physiological changes which constitute the biological activity of the ligands.

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