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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2006;295:2590.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Scientists have successfully demonstrated that they can substantially enhance the activity of a drug by manipulating the effects of a particular group of proteins that are the linchpin molecules involved in bringing countless messages from the cell surface to its interior (Bonacci TM et al. Science. 2006;312:443-446). The strategy could potentially increase the effectiveness and precision of up to 60% of currently available drugs and result in fewer adverse effects.

These signal-relaying molecules, called heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding proteins (or G proteins for short), respond to hormones such as serotonin and acetylcholine as well as to sensory stimuli responsible for perception of light, smell, and taste. G proteins regulate multiple target proteins within the cell and mediate such processes as conducting nerve impulses, activating white blood cells, and modulating heart rhythm. Faulty G protein signaling has been implicated in various diseases, including diabetes, some hereditary endocrine . . . [Full Text of this Article]