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Constitutive Activity

Meaning

Constitutive Activity refers to the intrinsic, spontaneous ability of a cell-surface receptor, most notably G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), to transition into an active signaling state and elicit a biological response without the presence of an external ligand or hormone. This phenomenon results in a basal, or tonic, level of signal transduction that is independent of classical agonistic stimulation. Clinically, this concept is crucial for understanding the mechanism of action of inverse agonists.