Substance P receptor

Patent Pending The endogenous receptor for substance P is neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1-receptor, NK1R).[8] It belongs to the tachykinin receptor sub-family of GPCRs.[9] Other neurokinin subtypes and neurokinin receptors that interact with SP have also been reported. Amino acid residues that are responsible for the binding of SP and its antagonists are present in the extracellular loops and transmembrane regions of NK-1. Binding of SP to NK-1 results in internalization by the clathrin-dependent mechanism to the acidified endosomes where the complex disassociates. SP is subsequently degraded and NK-1 is re-expressed on the cell surface.[10] Substance P and the NK1 receptor are widely distributed in the brain and are found in brain regions that are specific to regulating emotion (hypothalamus, amygdala, and the periaqueductal gray).