2.3 Receptor activation

Receptors may be activated by conformational change (for example, ion-channel receptors such as nicotinic receptors, and 7TM receptors such as muscarinic receptors and adrenergic receptors), by formation of dimers (such as receptors with intrinsic enzymatic activity and recruiter receptors) or by proteolysis. We shall now consider how each cell surface receptor class described in Section 1.3 is activated.