Melatonin receptors: molecular pharmacology and signalling in the context of system bias.

ABSTRACT: Melatonin, N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, an evolutionally old molecule, is produced by the pineal gland in vertebrates, and it binds with high affinity to melatonin receptors, which are members of the GPCR family. Among the multiple effects attributed to melatonin, we will focus here on those that are dependent on the activation of the two mammalian MT₁ and MT₂ melatonin receptors. We briefly summarize the latest developments on synthetic melatonin receptor ligands, including multi-target-directed ligands, and the characterization of signalling-biased ligands. We discuss signalling pathways activated by melatonin receptors that appear to be highly cell- and tissue-dependent, emphasizing the impact of system bias on the functional outcome. Different proteins have been

SUBMITTER: Cecon E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6057902 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature