Latest research on Adhesion GPCRs has unearthed surprising revelations about the events that govern the signal transduction of these receptor molecules and the cellular and organ requirements for these signals. Unexpected and unprecedented findings suggest that Adhesion GPCRs constitute a group of receptors that sense mechanical stimuli and transcode them into metabotropic signals through the action of a novel activation paradigm. Interdisciplinary efforts transcending many areas of biomedical research including pharmacology, physiology, genetics, cell biology, structural biology, biochemistry and bioinformatics were necessary to unveil these fundamental properties. The scientific leaders in the field that carried this research effort have teamed up here to provide a comprehensive overview of our current understanding, how Adhesion GPCRs signal and how these receptors shape organ structure and function.

Covers the latest progress in the understanding of the molecular events governing the signaling of Adhesion GPCRs, a large group of enigmatic receptors in the GPCR superfamily, and their physiological properties Discusses the newly discovered activation mode of Adhesion GPCRs and their metabotropic activity profile Highlights the evidence suggesting that Adhesion GPCRs detect mechanical stimuli

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PART I. Molecular and Pharmacological Properties of Adhesion GPCRs: -Classification, Nomenclature and Structural Aspects of Adhesion GPCRs.- 7TM Domain Structure of Adhesion GPCRs.- Understanding the Structural Basis of Adhesion GPCR Functions.-Control of Adhesion GPCR Function Through Proteolytic Processing.-Tethered Agonism: A Common Activation Mechanism of Adhesion GPCRs.- Versatile Signaling Activity of Adhesion GPCRs.- Adhesion GPCR-Related Protein Networks.-The Relevance of Genomic Signatures at Adhesion GPCR Loci in Humans.- PART II: Adhesion GPCRs as Pharmakotargets in Organ Function and Development .- Adhesion GPCRs as a Putative Class of Metabotropic Mechanosensors.- Adhesion GPCRs Govern Polarity of Epithelia and Cell Migration.- Adhesion GPCRs as Novel Actors in Neural and Glial Cell Functions: From Synaptogenesis to Myelination.-Control of Skeletal Muscle Cell Growth and Size Through Adhesion GPCRs.- Adhesion GPCR Function in Pulmonary Development and Disease.-Adhesion GPCRs as Modulators of Immune Cell Function.-Heart Development, Angiogenesis, and Blood-Brain Barrier Function is Modulated by Adhesion GPCRs.-Adhesion GPCRs in Tumorigenesis.