PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Milligan, G.
TI  - Oligomerisation of G-protein-coupled receptors
DP  - 2001 Apr 01
TA  - Journal of Cell Science
PG  - 1265--1271
VI  - 114
IP  - 7
4099  - http://jcs.biologists.org/content/114/7/1265.short
4100  - http://jcs.biologists.org/content/114/7/1265.full
SO  - J. Cell Sci.2001 Apr 01; 114
AB  - A range of approaches have recently provided evidence that G-protein-coupled receptors can exist as oligomeric complexes. Both homo-oligomers, comprising multiple copies of the same gene product, and hetero-oligomers containing more than one receptor have been detected. In several, but not all, examples, the extent of oligomerisation is regulated by the presence of agonist ligands, and emerging evidence indicates that receptor hetero-oligomers can display distinct pharmacological characteristics. A chaperonin-like role for receptor oligomerisation in effective delivery of newly synthesised receptors to the cell surface is a developing concept, and recent studies have employed a series of energy-transfer techniques to explore the presence and regulation of receptor oligomerisation in living cells. However, the majority of studies have relied largely on co-immunoprecipitation techniques, and there is still little direct information on the fraction of receptors existing as oligomers in intact cells.