[G-protein coupled receptors. Nobel Prize 2012 for chemistry to Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka].

The 2012 Nobel Prize for chemistry has been won by Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka for their work on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Those receptors (3% of human genome) evolutionary are derived from one 1 or 2 ancestors and are able to recognize external message as different as light, odorants, gustative molecules and intercellular messages such as hormones and neurotransmitters. They are targets of 30-40% of therapeutic drugs. Robert J. Lefkowitz has been one of the leaders of the field from more than 40 years and has built several key concepts of the domain. Brian Kobilka was successful, in 2007, in producing a crystal structure of the β2-adrenergic receptor. This paved the way for the production of a series of almost 50 GPCR crystal structures both in inactive and active forms.