Types of Receptors

Location
Structure

LIGAND GATED ION

CHANNELS

G-PROTEIN COUPLED
RECEPTORS

Cell membrane
Oligomeric assembly of
subunits surrounding central
pore

Cell membrane
Monomeric or oligomeric
assembly of subunits comprising
seven transmemrane helices with
intracellular G-protein-coupling
domain

Examples
Nicotinic Acetylcholine
plus sample
Receptor Acetylcholine,
ligand
Nicotine
GABAA receptor - GABA
5-HT3 receptor Serotonin
NMDA Receptors

ENZYME LINKED
(RECEPTOR
KINASE)
Cell membrane
Single
transmembrane helix
linking extracellular
receptor domain to
intracellular kinase
domain

Muscarinic (M1-M5)
Tyrosine Kinase
Acetylcholine Receptor Receptor - Insulin

Serine/Threonine
Acetylcholine
Adrenoceptors (Alpha and
Kinase Receptor
Beta) Norepinephrine,
TGF-
Epinephrine
Guanylyl Cyclase
5-HT (5-HT1 to 5-HT7 except 5receptor NO
HT3) Receptor - Serotonin
Peptide (Natriuretic
Peptide)

NUCLEAR RECEPTORS

Intracellular
Monomeric structure with separate receptor- and
DNA-binding domain

Thyroid Hormone Receptor Thyroid

Steroid Receptor
Vitamin D receptor
Retinoic acid receptor Vitamin A

TSE

Timescale
Characterist
ic of
Response
based on
signal
transduction

milliseconds

Effector: Ion Channel

Coupling: Direct

Transmit signal across the

plasma membrane by
increasing transmembrane
conductance of the relevant
ion and thereby altering
electric potential across the
membrane

Cytokine Receptors
interferon, IL-3,
growth hormone,
prolactin,
erythropoeitin
seconds
hours
Effector: Channel or Enzyme Effector: Protein
Coupling: G-protein
Kinase
When the trimer binds to an
Coupling: Direct
agonist-occupied receptor, the Signal transduction
subunit dissociates and is
generally involves
then free to activate an
dimerization of
effector (a membrane enzyme
receptors, followed
or ion channel). In some
by
autophosphorylatio
cases, the subunit is the
n of tyrosine
activator species
residues. The
phosphotyrosine
residues act as
acceptors for the
SH2 domains of a
variety of
intracellular
proteins, thereby
allowing control of
many cell functions

hours
Effector: Gene transcription
Coupling: Via DNA
The liganded receptor complexes initiate
changes in elements in gene promoters and
recruiting co-activator or co-repressor family

TSE