Bioactive Transmembrane Proteins

Transmembrane proteins are a type of integral membrane protein that spans the entirety of the cell membrane. They often function as gateways to permit the transport of specific substances across the membrane and frequently undergo significant conformational changes to move a substance through the membrane. These proteins can be loosely associated with the membrane (peripheral or extrinsic) or can embed deeply and most typically pass through the membrane and become a transmembrane (also called integral or intrinsic) protein. Sometimes they pass through using a single alpha helix, while other times they pass through multiple times (for example seven times in G-protein coupled receptors).