7TM receptor

In cell biology and biochemistry, a 7TM receptor (or seven transmembrane receptor) is an integral membrane protein belonging to a large and ancient superfamily of transmembrane receptors. Most of the known examples work in partnership with G proteins, such as the receptors of the olfactory sensory epithelium that bind odorants and the receptors of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the mammalian brain.

The name derives from the proteins' structure or membrane topology, which exhibits seven membrane-spanning elements or transmembrane helices. Detailed structural information is based on analogy to bacteriorhodopsin, a 7TM receptor whose structure has been determined by both electron and X ray-based crystallography.