The manipulability of what? The history of G-protein coupled receptors
@article{Barwich2017TheMO, title={The manipulability of what? The history of G-protein coupled receptors}, author={Ann-Sophie Barwich and Karim Bschir}, journal={Biology \& Philosophy}, year={2017}, volume={32}, pages={1317-1339} }
This paper tells the story of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), one of the most important scientific objects in contemporary biochemistry and molecular biology. By looking at how cell membrane receptors turned from a speculative concept into a central element in modern biochemistry over the past 40 years, we revisit the role of manipulability as a criterion for entity realism in wet-lab research. The central argument is that manipulability as a condition for reality becomes meaningful only…
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