Abstract
Receptors are functional membrane proteins on the cell surface that recognize external signals and trigger biological responses by generating intracellular signals. Due to prolonged exposure to external signals, receptors are often desensitized and no longer produce intracellular signals. This simple control mechanism may work without negativeโfeedback regulation from another molecule if the active state of a receptor reflects a transient metastable molecular structure. A theoretical framework is developed to identify a metastable state associated with a conformational transition of protein molecules, in which a transient state can be observed somewhat above the equilibrium transition point. The conducting state of the acetylcholine receptor may thus represent a metastable state associated with a conformational transition from the resting state to the desensitized state. Similarly, the conducting state of the voltageโsensitive sodium channel may represent a metastable state associated with a conformational transition from the resting state to the refractory state. The rates of appearance and disappearance of the transient state, as well as the equilibrium ratio of the two preexisting states, can be estimated from the free energy of protein structure. The appearance of the transient state is generally a multirelaxation process and may show a time lag, while the disappearance is a slower singleโrelaxation process.