G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a class of transmembrane receptors important to many signaling pathways and a common drug target. As its name suggests, the receptor, once activated, binds to a G-protein. Recent experiments suggest that GPCRs form dense tiny clusters. What are the effects of these “hotspots” on signaling kinetics? I will introduce one possible spatiotemporal model for GPCR-G protein interactions, and present some numerical evidence for how these clusters might locally increase signaling speed.

Polly Yu (Harvard)