Mechanism
RASSLs and DREADDs are a family of designer G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) built specifically to allow for precise spatiotemporal control of GPCR signaling in vivo. These engineered GPCRs, called RASSLs (receptors activated solely by synthetic ligands), are unresponsive to endogenous ligands but can be activated by nanomolar concentrations of pharmacologically inert, drug-like small molecules. Currently, RASSLs exist for the three major GPCR signaling pathways (Gs, Gi, Gq). A major cause for success of RASSL resources has been open exchange of DNA constructs, and RASSL related resources.
Read more about this topic: Receptor Activated Solely By A Synthetic Ligand
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