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This book reviews current knowledge of the transmembrane proteins called Receptor Activity Modifying Proteins (RAMPs), which modulate the surface expression of GPCRs of the calcitonin family, opening the field of receptor life cycle.

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Among the many GPCRs discovered, the calcitonin family of receptors comprise of members that regulate a number of physiological processes and are involved in many pathological conditions. Therefore, understanding how these receptors function is a critical question in the field. When Foord and his colleagues discovered that a single transmembrane protein called Receptor Activity Modifying Proteins (RAMPs) could modulate the surface expression of GPCRs of the calcitonin family, it widely opened the field of receptor life cycle. Hundreds of studies have confirmed the importance of RAMPs in the life cycle of this receptor family. Receptor biology is a rapidly expanding field and with the advances in cell and molecular biology and in vivo techniques, it is very likely that the field of RAMPs will explode further and many unanswered questions will be answered with in the next few years.

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Introduction to RAMPs.- RAMPs and CGRP Receptors.- Regulation of GPCR Trafficking by RAMPs.- Regulation of Calcium Sensing Receptor Trafficking by RAMPs.- Understanding RAMPs through Genetically Engineered Mouse Models.- RAMPs as Drug Targets.- Ramp Like Proteins: RTP and REEP Family of Proteins.- Regulation of RAMP Expression in Diseases.- Perspectives on some Recent Studies on RAMPs.

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William S. Spielman is a Professor of Physiology and former Chairperson of the Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA. His research interests include receptor biology and signal transduction and renal physiology. He is a member of many national and international scientific societies including the American Physiological Society. Spielman earned the BS degree in Biology from Westminister College and the PhD degree in Physiology from the University of Missouri.Narayanan Parameswaran is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology and Division of Pathology at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA. His main research interests include receptor biology, cell signaling, inflammation and inflammatory diseases. He is a member of the American Association of Immunology, Society of Leukocyte Biology and the Shock Society. Parameswaran received the Veterinary Medicine degree from Madras Veterinary College (India), the Master´s degree in Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology from the Ohio State University and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physiology from the Michigan State University.

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