Decoys and Cardiovascular Development: CXCR7 and Regulation of Adrenomedullin Signaling.

Decoy receptors have ligand binding capacity but, in contrast to cognate receptors, do not initiate typical downstream signaling cascades. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Klein and colleagues (2014) demonstrate that CXCR7 acts as a decoy receptor for adrenomedullin, a peptide hormone with key roles in cardiovascular development.