Pharmacology

Targets for Drug Action

You can maximize your learning by taking notes that

summarize the key concepts; you should save these
notes and review them. Use this document as an
outline for your note-taking. You can fill in the fields
on this interactive PDF digitally or print it out and
write on paper.

Concept Video Notes

Use the space below to jot down key points for each concept video. Attempt
to make connections between the concepts explained in these videos and
others already covered in the course. Are you unsure about any of the content?

Therapeutic Approaches

Receptor Superfamilies, Part 1

Receptor Superfamilies, Part 2

Drug Action at Receptors

Pharmacology
Targets for Drug Action
Other Protein Targets

Novel Therapeutic Approaches

Pharmacology
Targets for Drug Action
Key Terms
These are the key terms and concepts covered in this lesson. After you have
learned a term, take a moment to write out your own explanation of the term.

Agonist

Antagonist

Antibody

Antigen

Basal activity

Cellular protein

Competitive antagonist

Enzyme

Full agonist

G protein-coupled receptor

Inverse agonist

Ion channel

Pharmacology
Targets for Drug Action
Kinase-linked receptor

Ligand-gated ion channel

Molecular target

Non-competitive antagonist

Nuclear receptor

Partial agonist

Protein-based therapy

Receptor

Second messenger-regulated
ion channel

T cell

Transporter

Viral vector

Voltage-gated ion channel

Pharmacology
Targets for Drug Action
Learning Objectives
After you have completed the lesson, go through the learning objectives again.
Are you able to fill in a complete response to each learning objective?

1) Define ligands and describe how they act in the body.

2) Name the types of cellular proteins that can be targeted by drugs and therapeutics.

3) Define receptor, enzyme, ion channel, and transporter.

4) List the four receptor superfamilies and recall their key characteristics.

5) Describe the different types of agonists and antagonists and how each alters the activity of a receptor.

6) Compare and contrast the features and properties of receptors, enzymes, ion channels, and transporters.

Pharmacology
Targets for Drug Action
7) Classify drugs according to their mechanism of action.

8) Explain the approaches to treatment used in gene-based, protein-based, and cell-based therapies.

9) Explain how multiple drugs can be used together to target different aspects of a disease or disorder via multiple
molecular targets.

Pharmacology
Targets for Drug Action
Summary Figure
1) Apply what you have learned so far in this course about drug action to complete the
table below. For each type of drug, think about the drug-receptor binding and the response
that is initiated by this binding. You may not know all of the answers, but using the
information that you have, try to fill out the table below as best you can.

Competitive Non-competitive
Drug type Full agonist Partial agonist Inverse agonist
antagonist antagonist

Does this drug activate

the receptor?

What response is
initiated by this drug?

What site on the

receptor does this
drug bind to?

Does this drug block a

ligand from binding?

Does this drug alter

basal activity of the
receptor?

Is binding of this drug

reversible?

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Pharmacology
Targets for Drug Action