Understanding cell signalling mechanisms activated by relaxin family peptides: targets with therapeutic potential

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One of the most powerful ways that the activity of the cells that make up the tissues and organs of the body can be changed is by the interaction of chemicals with proteins called receptors located at the cell surface. The commonest type of receptor is called a G-protein coupled receptor as it is linked to mechanisms inside the cell by the G-proteins. These receptors are the most commonly targeted by pharmaceutical companies that wish to alter the responses of cells for therapeutic purposes and almost 2-3 of all drugs currently marketed work through these proteins. This project will examine the mechanisms whereby certain types of G-protein coupled receptor produce signals in cells and determine what are the critical areas of the receptor for these interactions. The receptors involved have been discovered only in the last 4 years and little is known of the ways these change the activity of cells. The substances acting on these receptors have potential for development as targets for drugs that have the potential to treat fibrosis which is a feature of many diseases including cardiac failure, kidney failure and lung disease.