Two Americans, Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka, share the 2012 Nobel chemistry prize for discovering how microscopic receptors on the surface of a living cell enable it to detect external signals.
By revealing the inner workings of so-called G-protein coupled receptors, or GPCRs, the laureates helped biologists understand how cells sense stimuli such as light and smells.
These receptors are also responsible for cells’ reactions to biochemical molecules in the body such as adrenaline, histamine and dopamine – making them a prime target for the drugs industry.
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