Multiple endogenous receptors for growth factors and cytokines

This entry does not represent a single, discrete molecular target but is instead a collective descriptor for a diverse group of cell-surface proteins that mediate cellular responses to growth factors and cytokines. These receptors, including receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and various interleukin receptors, are fundamental to maintaining physiological homeostasis by regulating cell growth, survival, and immune system coordination (IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology, 2023). In a clinical or pharmacological context, this grouping is often utilized when a therapeutic agent—such as a complex biological extract, a multi-target kinase inhibitor, or a broad-spectrum immunomodulator—interacts with an array of signaling pathways rather than a single identified protein. Because this classification lacks molecular specificity and encompasses hundreds of distinct entities with varying functions, it is considered an imprecise target definition for drug development. Consequently, it is typically flagged in structured databases as requiring further refinement to identify the specific receptor subunits involved in a drug's mechanism of action (ChEMBL Database, 2024; UniProt Consortium, 2024).

Other names

Growth factor receptorsCytokine receptorsEndogenous signaling receptorsCell surface receptors for growth factors and cytokines

These receptors function by binding specific extracellular ligands (growth factors or cytokines), leading to receptor dimerization or oligomerization and the subsequent activation of intracellular signaling cascades such as the JAK-STAT, PI3K/AKT, or MAPK/ERK pathways (Lemmon & Schlessinger, 2010, Cell; Spangler et al., 2015, Annual Review of Immunology).