How exactly do receptor sites work?

[Zombie_Terri_Schaivo]

I was doing some research on psiocybin mushrooms for a paper, and I understand how the psilocin binds to the 5-ht receptor instead of serotonin. However, I am still wondering, how exactly do receptor sites work, in general?

[Nagognog2]

In laymen's terms: An electrical charge is sent from point A to point B regards neurosynapses. The regulator of this charge is a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin modulates the charge of current going across the transfer point (neurosynapse). Serotonin does this very well and the human, cat, bat, goldfish - recieves the needed information and responds - or does not. Now along comes another chemical that looks like serotonin and fits in serotonin's chair. Serotonin says "Thanks! Now I can take a nap!" and leaves for awhile.

But the imposter chemical doesn't do serotonin's job quite correctly. Instead of shooting the charge across from A to B - it also sends the message from A to B to C to X to...so forth.

To your point - psilocin allows more information to be transfered than usual. And the walls melt and gnomes speak.

[xctico]

Originally Posted by Nagognog2

In laymen's terms: An electrical charge is sent from point A to point B regards neurosynapses. The regulator of this charge is a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin modulates the charge of current going across the transfer point (neurosynapse). Serotonin does this very well and the human, cat, bat, goldfish - recieves the needed information and responds - or does not. Now along comes another chemical that looks like serotonin and fits in serotonin's chair. Serotonin says "Thanks! Now I can take a nap!" and leaves for awhile.

But the imposter chemical doesn't do serotonin's job quite correctly. Instead of shooting the charge across from A to B - it also sends the message from A to B to C to X to...so forth.

To your point - psilocin allows more information to be transfered than usual. And the walls melt and gnomes speak.

great post... I finally get why trees are usually so quiet.

[Zombie_Terri_Schaivo]

I already knew that, I was wonder how chemicals actually bind to the receptor, how the receptor proteins are formed to accept the neurotransmitter

[stoneinfocus]

There are in fact no receptors as such, it´s roughly a protein-wall of let´s say a neuron and a transmitter or drug/substance which has a charge that´s just fits with the charge of one site of the protein-element of this nerve-cell.

And as its nature it frequnently bonds and discharges from this site, it´s not, that it´s forming a chemical bond, cause then it would be another molecule with different properties, than the singel compunds (receptor-site & drug).

for example some drugs alter the structer and electrostatical charge of a neuron, that some ion-channels are being bend or made smaller, so that e.g. more Cl- anions are allowed to pass into the synaptic cue, thus making them less sensitive to electro-chemical signaling and thus are curbign pain signals, etc. .

I think if a substance like psylocybin or LSd penetrates the 5-HT or the muscarinic receptors something alike happens.

[Zombie_Terri_Schaivo]

Well, are there not ports on said protein wall that specifically accept certain neurotransmitters and similarly formed drug chemicals?

I'm wondering how the and chemical binds to it's specific port on a neuron, technically speaking

[stoneinfocus]

ther is none. -we just say that it´s there, when a substance docks on this "port", which is nothing but many many bonded and charged molecules, the substance is attrackted to this site, because of the charge of the electron- configurations and docks on there again and again until it´s metabolized by e.g. glucuronation, enzymatic metabolisms, etc. .

When a group of substances, such as opioids enkephaline. has a specific target ,we call it a receptor, because it´s this site, where they´re docking at and with the charges being exchagend, transforming the molecules shape for a while and thus altering the properties of the cell function, because of the altered shape that it now has.

[Zombie_Terri_Schaivo]

Isn't the supposed "receptor" something like a coiled protein molecule?

So are you say that the charges of the specific substance attract and bind into a certain space on a neuron's membrane, untill it is metabolized?

[Zombie_Terri_Schaivo]

Or wait, doesn't this happen in the neuron's "cleft" on the area between the dendrites and the axon? If that has anything to do with it.

[stoneinfocus]

Yes, exactly it´s a coiled "blob" of protein with some sites, that happen to react nicely with the charges of parts of the drug´s molecule -it´s called allosteric interaction, moving around some bonds of the receptor-sides molecules, and -no, it doesn´t happen necessarily in the cleft, although this is where neurotransmitters effects are taking place, (I´m sorry I didn´t get the translations for "synaptischer spalt") it´s more at the axon and the praesynaptic locus, the place, where the vesicles are and some ionophores.

for example benzos doesn´t dock onto a special benzo-rezeptor, they do, because we called it that way in a receptor-finding and naming mania, but
it has affinities to at least three other sites including the GABA receptor.

There are also sites in this region for depressants, close to steroids and opioid binding sites, etc ... and if one part is altered the whole system may/might happen to function in a different manner, than befor, with other sensitivity to other neurotransmitters and so on...

[Zombie_Terri_Schaivo]

I was just reading up on specifically psilocybin mushrooms, who's effects only take place at the 5-HT 1&2 'receptors', which I believe are located in the region, thus the confusion.

[Bildo]

Receptors are used to transfer information from one cell to another and from the blood stream to cells. Information can only be transfered via the surface of the cell.

Receptor sites, on the cell surface are in the form of coiled proteins in groups or pairs. These coils go through the membrane of the cell into the cell matrix. Every receptor site is specific to its molecule and will only bind to that molecule or a very similar analogue.
When a molecule binds to these coils they undergo a chemical change and either bind together or separate depending on the message being transmitted (on or off) this change is on the outside and the inside of the cell and proteins within the cell attached to the coils also bind together. This change of charge will then cause conformational changes in messenger molecules and inevitably lead to a cascade of reactions leading to the nucleus of the cell where changes are made to the DNA regulator proteins and there is a genetic response to the message being carried. This response will be a simple message to either stop producing or produce more of a specific protein or chemical.

This seems vague but you need to understand that everything your body does is the result of at least a few dozen chemical reactions.

[noHope]

Serotonin is a misnomer. 5-HT is serotonin.

[Evil GIR]

Drugs bind to specific receptors because of the proteins located on the cell wall. These proteins work by a lock and key effect.

When a drug/neurotransmitter binds to this protein it triggers an action potetnial, where Na+ ions are travel outside the cells and K ions are travel in, this is becasue of there electro chemical graident. This chage causes a net charge which then travels down the axio of a neuron to it pre synaptic clef. Where it can communicate with other cells. The whole process is then quickly reversed and the neuron returns to normal.

[Alfa]

Bajeda found a nice link today, which I posted in the file archive under pharmacology. (Mouse party) It's definitely worth checking out if you want to get some basics of drug pharmacology and is very entertaining.

Reputation Comments on this post:

What a nice link indeed. Fun, silly, and educational!

[epote]

all 5-ht receptors besides the 5-ht3 are of the g-coupling protein are they not? Ergo they affect camp levels, no?

[machine_elf]

And now we've established how receptor sites work, I think its worth a mention that psychedelics such as psilocin and lsd have their main hallucinogenic activity attributable to their partial agonist effects at serotonin receptor 5ht2A.