Hitting the Hot Spots of Cell Signaling Cascades

摘要

Transient protein-protein interactions are hallmarks of intracellular signaling cascades triggered by heterotrimeric gua-nine nucleotide-binding proteins, or G proteins (7). Hundreds of cell surface receptors for hormones and other extracellular factors activate G proteins, thereby regulating nearly all aspects of cell physiology. These receptors are the targets of a large fraction of the pharmaceutical drugs being used today. Thus, small molecules that negatively or positively modulate the protein-protein interactions of G proteins could likewise be powerful therapeutic agents (2,3).