Definition of "receptor" []

• Physiology A specialized cell or group of nerve endings that responds to sensory stimuli. (noun)
• Biochemistry A molecular structure or site on the surface or interior of a cell that binds with substances such as hormones, antigens, drugs, or neurotransmitters. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Indeed, the capsaicin receptor is a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway (Caterina et al. 1997)."
• "As importantly, these data provided indirect evidence that the insulin receptor is located on the surface of fat cells."
• "In a paper published this week in the New England Medical Journal, Jerry Greenfield and colleagues from the University of Cambridge (UK) present evidence suggesting that this receptor is also critical for blood pressure regulation and may help explain in part why obesity is commonly (but not always) associated with high blood pressure."