The plasma membranes of cells contain specialized proteins called receptors. Receptors allow cells to receive chemical signals that direct cellular function and activity. These chemical signals, also called signaling molecules, include hormones,...

A receptor is a molecular site, specific for a drug or its class, with which the drug must combine to produce its effect. If a drug is in the body but cannot bind to the receptor, then there is no effect. A receptor can be thought of as the button or...

In biochemistry, a receptor is a protein on the cell membrane or within the cytoplasm or cell nucleus that binds to a specific molecule (a ligand), such as a neurotransmitter, hormone, or other substance, and initiates the cellular response to the...

The Biochemistry of Chromium1,2 ABSTRACT Chromium has been known to be a micronutrient for mammals for four decades, but progress in elucidating the role of chromium has proceeded slowly. However, recent studies have shed light on a potential role of chromium in maintaining...

The biochemistry of the blues The blues take body and mind on a dance so complex that researchers have had trouble charting the steps. Now there's evidence that a brain hormone may be involved in the debilitating symptoms of both depression and...

Toxins from cone snail venom may help point the way to better relief of severe nerve pain in people, researchers report. Results were promising in tests on rats with a type of nerve pain similar to sciatica, according to researchers...

Health officials repeated safety concerns about an experimental group of HIV drugs Friday, days before government advisers will recommend whether the first drug from the class merits approval.Pfizer Inc. seeks Food and Drug Administration approval for maraviroc, potentially the first in a novel group of...