Strict rules are needed for validation of G-protein-coupled receptor immunohistochemical studies in human tissues

Excerpt

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) constitute one of the largest families of cell surface proteins. Not only do they regulate, after activation by hormones and neurotransmitters, a considerable part of the physiological processes in the body, but they also represent a major class of drug targets and thus play an increasingly important role in medicine. Indeed, more than 30 % of the clinically marketed drugs do act through GPCR and are therapeutically successful in a large spectrum of human diseases. It is, therefore, evident that increasing information is needed on the expression and precise distribution of the GPCR, particularly in normal and diseased human tissues. The density of GPCR is usually considerably lower than that of other cellular parameters, such as that for hormones for instance, sometimes challenging their detection with current methods. …