Human glucagon receptor

Cascieri, M.A. et al. (1999) Characterization of a novel, non-peptidyl antagonist of the human glucagon receptor. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 274, 8694—8697. 

The function of the enteroglucagons has not been clarified, although smaller peptides can bind hepatic glucagon receptors where they exert partial activity. A derivative of the 37-amino-acid form of GLP-1 that lacks the first six amino acids (GLP-1 [7-37]) is a potent stimulant of insulin release. It represents the predominant form of GLP in the human intestine and has been termed "insulinotropin." It has been considered as a potential therapeutic agent in type 2 diabetes. 

G-protein receptor systems are widespread in living systems. They are found in many animals and microbes. Both vision and smell in humans depend on G-proteins (Campbell et al., 1999), and glucagon receptors use the system to produce a second messenger called cyclic AMP (cAMP). Receptors for epinephrine, angiotensin, endorphins, and acetylcholine also use this G-protein second messenger mechanism (Sleight and Lieberman, 1995). 

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