1
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Aguilar-Pineda JA, González-Melchor M. Influence of the Water Model on the Structure and Interactions of the GPR40 Protein with the Lipid Membrane and the Solvent: Rigid versus Flexible Water Models. J Chem Theory Comput 2024. [PMID: 38991114 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) are responsible for modulating various physiological functions and are thus related to the pathophysiology of different diseases. Being potential therapeutic targets, multiple computational methodologies have been developed to analyze their behavior and interactions with other species. The solvent, on the other hand, has received much less attention. In this work, we analyzed the effect of four explicit water models on the structure and interactions of the GPR40 receptor in its apo form. We employed the rigid SPC/E and TIP4P models, and their flexible versions, the FBA/ϵ and TIP4P/ϵflex. We explored the structural changes and their correlation with some bulk dynamic properties of water. Our results showed an adverse effect on the conservation of the secondary structure of the receptor with all the models due to the breaking of the intramolecular hydrogen bond network, being more evident for the TIP4P models. Notably, all four models brought the receptor to states similar to the active one, modifying the intracellular part of the TM5 and TM6 domains in a "hinge" type movement, allowing the opening of the structure. Regarding the dynamic properties, the rigid models showed results comparable to those obtained in other studies on membrane systems. However, flexible models exhibit disparities in the molecular representation of systems. Surprisingly, the FBA/ϵ model improves the molecular picture of several properties, even though their agreement with bulk diffusion is poorer. These findings reinforce our idea that exploring other water models or improving the current ones, to better represent the membrane interface, can lead to a positive impact on the description of the signal transduction mechanisms and the search of new drugs by targeting these receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Alberto Aguilar-Pineda
- Instituto de Física "Luis Rivera Terrazas", Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Av San Claudio, Cd Universitaria, Apdo. Postal J-48, Puebla 72570, México
| | - Minerva González-Melchor
- Instituto de Física "Luis Rivera Terrazas", Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Av San Claudio, Cd Universitaria, Apdo. Postal J-48, Puebla 72570, México
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2
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Szwabowski GL, Griffing M, Mugabe EJ, O'Malley D, Baker LN, Baker DL, Parrill AL. G Protein-Coupled Receptor-Ligand Pose and Functional Class Prediction. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6876. [PMID: 38999982 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25136876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) transmembrane protein family members play essential roles in physiology. Numerous pharmaceuticals target GPCRs, and many drug discovery programs utilize virtual screening (VS) against GPCR targets. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting new molecules that bind to and either activate or inhibit GPCR function would accelerate such drug discovery programs. This work addresses two significant research questions. First, do ligand interaction fingerprints provide a substantial advantage over automated methods of binding site selection for classical docking? Second, can the functional status of prospective screening candidates be predicted from ligand interaction fingerprints using a random forest classifier? Ligand interaction fingerprints were found to offer modest advantages in sampling accurate poses, but no substantial advantage in the final set of top-ranked poses after scoring, and, thus, were not used in the generation of the ligand-receptor complexes used to train and test the random forest classifier. A binary classifier which treated agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists as active and all other ligands as inactive proved highly effective in ligand function prediction in an external test set of GPR31 and TAAR2 candidate ligands with a hit rate of 82.6% actual actives within the set of predicted actives.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Makenzie Griffing
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Elijah J Mugabe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Daniel O'Malley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Lindsey N Baker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Daniel L Baker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Abby L Parrill
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
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3
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Shen S, Wu C, Lin G, Yang X, Zhou Y, Zhao C, Miao Z, Tian X, Wang K, Yang Z, Liu Z, Guo N, Li Y, Xia A, Zhou P, Liu J, Yan W, Ke B, Yang S, Shao Z. Structure-based identification of a G protein-biased allosteric modulator of cannabinoid receptor CB1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321532121. [PMID: 38830102 PMCID: PMC11181136 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321532121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Cannabis sativa is known for its therapeutic benefit in various diseases including pain relief by targeting cannabinoid receptors. The primary component of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and other agonists engage the orthosteric site of CB1, activating both Gi and β-arrestin signaling pathways. The activation of diverse pathways could result in on-target side effects and cannabis addiction, which may hinder therapeutic potential. A significant challenge in pharmacology is the design of a ligand that can modulate specific signaling of CB1. By leveraging insights from the structure-function selectivity relationship (SFSR), we have identified Gi signaling-biased agonist-allosteric modulators (ago-BAMs). Further, two cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures reveal the binding mode of ago-BAM at the extrahelical allosteric site of CB1. Combining mutagenesis and pharmacological studies, we elucidated the detailed mechanism of ago-BAM-mediated biased signaling. Notably, ago-BAM CB-05 demonstrated analgesic efficacy with fewer side effects, minimal drug toxicity and no cannabis addiction in mouse pain models. In summary, our finding not only suggests that ago-BAMs of CB1 provide a potential nonopioid strategy for pain management but also sheds light on BAM identification for GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyuan Shen
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
- Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Chao Wu
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Guifeng Lin
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Xin Yang
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Yangli Zhou
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Chang Zhao
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhuang Miao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaowen Tian
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Kexin Wang
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhiqian Yang
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhiyu Liu
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Nihong Guo
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Yueshan Li
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Anjie Xia
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Pei Zhou
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Jingming Liu
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei Yan
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Bowen Ke
- Department of Anesthesiology, Laboratory of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Centre of Translational Medicine of Anesthesiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Shengyong Yang
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
- Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhenhua Shao
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu610041, Sichuan, China
- Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu610212, Sichuan, China
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4
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Duan J, He XH, Li SJ, Xu HE. Cryo-electron microscopy for GPCR research and drug discovery in endocrinology and metabolism. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2024; 20:349-365. [PMID: 38424377 DOI: 10.1038/s41574-024-00957-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell surface receptors, with many GPCRs having crucial roles in endocrinology and metabolism. Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized the field of structural biology, particularly regarding GPCRs, over the past decade. Since the first pair of GPCR structures resolved by cryo-EM were published in 2017, the number of GPCR structures resolved by cryo-EM has surpassed the number resolved by X-ray crystallography by 30%, reaching >650, and the number has doubled every ~0.63 years for the past 6 years. At this pace, it is predicted that the structure of 90% of all human GPCRs will be completed within the next 5-7 years. This Review highlights the general structural features and principles that guide GPCR ligand recognition, receptor activation, G protein coupling, arrestin recruitment and regulation by GPCR kinases. The Review also highlights the diversity of GPCR allosteric binding sites and how allosteric ligands could dictate biased signalling that is selective for a G protein pathway or an arrestin pathway. Finally, the authors use the examples of glycoprotein hormone receptors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor to illustrate the effect of cryo-EM on understanding GPCR biology in endocrinology and metabolism, as well as on GPCR-related endocrine diseases and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Duan
- Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Xin-Heng He
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shu-Jie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - H Eric Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
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5
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Inan T, Flinko R, Lewis GK, MacKerell AD, Kurkcuoglu O. Identifying and Assessing Putative Allosteric Sites and Modulators for CXCR4 Predicted through Network Modeling and Site Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:5157-5174. [PMID: 38647430 PMCID: PMC11139592 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is a critical target for the treatment of several cancer types and HIV-1 infections. While orthosteric and allosteric modulators have been developed targeting its extracellular or transmembrane regions, the intramembrane region of CXCR4 may also include allosteric binding sites suitable for the development of allosteric drugs. To investigate this, we apply the Gaussian Network Model (GNM) to the monomeric and dimeric forms of CXCR4 to identify residues essential for its local and global motions located in the hinge regions of the protein. Residue interaction network (RIN) analysis suggests hub residues that participate in allosteric communication throughout the receptor. Mutual residues from the network models reside in regions with a high capacity to alter receptor dynamics upon ligand binding. We then investigate the druggability of these potential allosteric regions using the site identification by ligand competitive saturation (SILCS) approach, revealing two putative allosteric sites on the monomer and three on the homodimer. Two screening campaigns with Glide and SILCS-Monte Carlo docking using FDA-approved drugs suggest 20 putative hit compounds including antifungal drugs, anticancer agents, HIV protease inhibitors, and antimalarial drugs. In vitro assays considering mAB 12G5 and CXCL12 demonstrate both positive and negative allosteric activities of these compounds, supporting our computational approach. However, in vivo functional assays based on the recruitment of β-arrestin to CXCR4 do not show significant agonism and antagonism at a single compound concentration. The present computational pipeline brings a new perspective to computer-aided drug design by combining conformational dynamics based on network analysis and cosolvent analysis based on the SILCS technology to identify putative allosteric binding sites using CXCR4 as a showcase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tugce Inan
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Istanbul Technical
University, Istanbul 34469, Turkey
| | - Robin Flinko
- Institute
of Human Virology, University of Maryland
School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - George K. Lewis
- Institute
of Human Virology, University of Maryland
School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Alexander D. MacKerell
- University
of Maryland Computer-Aided Drug Design Center, Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University
of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Ozge Kurkcuoglu
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Istanbul Technical
University, Istanbul 34469, Turkey
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6
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Kaneko S, Imai S, Uchikubo-Kamo T, Hisano T, Asao N, Shirouzu M, Shimada I. Structural and dynamic insights into the activation of the μ-opioid receptor by an allosteric modulator. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3544. [PMID: 38740791 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47792-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play pivotal roles in various physiological processes. These receptors are activated to different extents by diverse orthosteric ligands and allosteric modulators. However, the mechanisms underlying these variations in signaling activity by allosteric modulators remain largely elusive. Here, we determine the three-dimensional structure of the μ-opioid receptor (MOR), a class A GPCR, in complex with the Gi protein and an allosteric modulator, BMS-986122, using cryogenic electron microscopy. Our results reveal that BMS-986122 binding induces changes in the map densities corresponding to R1673.50 and Y2545.58, key residues in the structural motifs conserved among class A GPCRs. Nuclear magnetic resonance analyses of MOR in the absence of the Gi protein reveal that BMS-986122 binding enhances the formation of the interaction between R1673.50 and Y2545.58, thus stabilizing the fully-activated conformation, where the intracellular half of TM6 is outward-shifted to allow for interaction with the Gi protein. These findings illuminate that allosteric modulators like BMS-986122 can potentiate receptor activation through alterations in the conformational dynamics in the core region of GPCRs. Together, our results demonstrate the regulatory mechanisms of GPCRs, providing insights into the rational development of therapeutics targeting GPCRs.
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MESH Headings
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/chemistry
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/genetics
- Allosteric Regulation
- Humans
- Cryoelectron Microscopy
- Protein Binding
- GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go/metabolism
- GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go/chemistry
- GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go/genetics
- HEK293 Cells
- Ligands
- Models, Molecular
- Protein Conformation
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Affiliation(s)
- Shun Kaneko
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, Kanagawa, Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Imai
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, Kanagawa, Japan.
| | | | - Tamao Hisano
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Asao
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, Kanagawa, Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mikako Shirouzu
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Ichio Shimada
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Graduate School of Integrated Science for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
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7
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Chen J, Song Y, Ma L, Jin Y, Yu J, Guo Y, Huang Y, Pu X. Computational insights into diverse binding modes of the allosteric modulator and their regulation on dopamine D1 receptor. Comput Biol Med 2024; 173:108283. [PMID: 38552278 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Allosteric drugs hold the promise of addressing many challenges in the current drug development of GPCRs. However, the molecular mechanism underlying their allosteric modulations remain largely elusive. The dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1), a member of Class A GPCRs, is critical for treating psychiatric disorders, and LY3154207 serves as its promising positive allosteric modulator (PAM). In the work, we utilized extensive Gaussian-accelerated molecular dynamics simulations (a total of 41μs) for the first time probe the diverse binding modes of the allosteric modulator and their regulation effects, based on the DRD1 and LY3154207 as representative. Our simulations identify four binding modes of LY3154207 (one boat mode, two metastable vertical modes and a novel cleft-anchored mode), in which the boat mode is the most stable while there three modes are similar in the stability. However, it is interesting to observed that the most stable boat mode inversely exhibits the weakest positive allosteric effect on influencing the orthosteric ligand binding and maintaining the activity of the transducer binding site. It should result from its induced weaker correlation between the allosteric site and the orthosteric site, and between the orthosteric site and the transducer binding site than the other three binding modes, as well as its weakened interaction between a crucial activation-related residue (S2025.46) and the orthosteric ligand (dopamine). Overall, the work offers atomic-level information to advance our understanding of the complex allosteric regulation on GPCRs, which is beneficial to the allosteric modulator design and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianfang Chen
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Yuanpeng Song
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Luhan Ma
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Yizhou Jin
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Jin Yu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Yanzhi Guo
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Yan Huang
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Xuemei Pu
- College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
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8
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Zhang M, Chen T, Lu X, Lan X, Chen Z, Lu S. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs): advances in structures, mechanisms, and drug discovery. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:88. [PMID: 38594257 PMCID: PMC11004190 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01803-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest family of human membrane proteins and an important class of drug targets, play a role in maintaining numerous physiological processes. Agonist or antagonist, orthosteric effects or allosteric effects, and biased signaling or balanced signaling, characterize the complexity of GPCR dynamic features. In this study, we first review the structural advancements, activation mechanisms, and functional diversity of GPCRs. We then focus on GPCR drug discovery by revealing the detailed drug-target interactions and the underlying mechanisms of orthosteric drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in the past five years. Particularly, an up-to-date analysis is performed on available GPCR structures complexed with synthetic small-molecule allosteric modulators to elucidate key receptor-ligand interactions and allosteric mechanisms. Finally, we highlight how the widespread GPCR-druggable allosteric sites can guide structure- or mechanism-based drug design and propose prospects of designing bitopic ligands for the future therapeutic potential of targeting this receptor family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Protection, Development and Utilization of Medicinal Resources in Liupanshan Area, Ministry of Education, Peptide & Protein Drug Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China
- Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Ting Chen
- Department of Cardiology, Changzheng Hospital, Affiliated to Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Xun Lu
- Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Xiaobing Lan
- Key Laboratory of Protection, Development and Utilization of Medicinal Resources in Liupanshan Area, Ministry of Education, Peptide & Protein Drug Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China
| | - Ziqiang Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, Changhai Hospital, Affiliated to Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Shaoyong Lu
- Key Laboratory of Protection, Development and Utilization of Medicinal Resources in Liupanshan Area, Ministry of Education, Peptide & Protein Drug Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
- Medicinal Chemistry and Bioinformatics Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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9
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Li F, Tai L, Sun X, Lv Z, Tang W, Wang T, Zhao Z, Gong D, Ma S, Tang S, Gu Q, Zhu X, Yu M, Liu X, Wang J. Molecular recognition and activation mechanism of short-chain fatty acid receptors FFAR2/3. Cell Res 2024; 34:323-326. [PMID: 38191689 PMCID: PMC10978569 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-023-00914-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Fahui Li
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Linhua Tai
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyu Sun
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenyu Lv
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenqin Tang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tianxin Wang
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyi Zhao
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Daohong Gong
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shaohua Ma
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shichen Tang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Quanchang Gu
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolei Zhu
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Minling Yu
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaohong Liu
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiangyun Wang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- School of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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10
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Yang Z, Wang JY, Yang F, Zhu KK, Wang GP, Guan Y, Ning SL, Lu Y, Li Y, Zhang C, Zheng Y, Zhou SH, Wang XW, Wang MW, Xiao P, Yi F, Zhang C, Zhang PJ, Xu F, Liu BH, Zhang H, Yu X, Gao N, Sun JP. Structure of GPR101-Gs enables identification of ligands with rejuvenating potential. Nat Chem Biol 2024; 20:484-492. [PMID: 37945893 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01456-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
GPR101 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor actively participating in energy homeostasis. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of GPR101 constitutively coupled to Gs heterotrimer, which reveals unique features of GPR101, including the interaction of extracellular loop 2 within the 7TM bundle, a hydrophobic chain packing-mediated activation mechanism and the structural basis of disease-related mutants. Importantly, a side pocket is identified in GPR101 that facilitates in silico screening to identify four small-molecule agonists, including AA-14. The structure of AA-14-GPR101-Gs provides direct evidence of the AA-14 binding at the side pocket. Functionally, AA-14 partially restores the functions of GH/IGF-1 axis and exhibits several rejuvenating effects in wild-type mice, which are abrogated in Gpr101-deficient mice. In summary, we provide a structural basis for the constitutive activity of GPR101. The structure-facilitated identification of GPR101 agonists and functional analysis suggest that targeting this orphan receptor has rejuvenating potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Yang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Jun-Yan Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Yang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Advanced Medical Research Institute, Meili Lake Translational Research Park, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Kong-Kai Zhu
- Advanced Medical Research Institute, Meili Lake Translational Research Park, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Guo-Peng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Guan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Advanced Medical Research Institute, Meili Lake Translational Research Park, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shang-Lei Ning
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yan Lu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuan Zheng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Shu-Hua Zhou
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xin-Wen Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Ming-Wei Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Peng Xiao
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Fan Yi
- Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- National Key Laboratory for Innovation and Transformation of Luobing Theory, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Peng-Ju Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Fei Xu
- iHuman Institute, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bao-Hua Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Systemic Aging and Intervention (SKL-SAI), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hua Zhang
- School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, China
| | - Xiao Yu
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
| | - Ning Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
| | - Jin-Peng Sun
- NHC Key Laboratory of Otorhinolaryngology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Beijing, China.
- Advanced Medical Research Institute, Meili Lake Translational Research Park, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.
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11
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Zhang X, Guseinov AA, Jenkins L, Li K, Tikhonova IG, Milligan G, Zhang C. Structural basis for the ligand recognition and signaling of free fatty acid receptors. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj2384. [PMID: 38198545 PMCID: PMC10780892 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj2384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Free fatty acid receptors 1 to 4 (FFA1 to FFA4) are class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). FFA1 to FFA3 share substantial sequence similarity, whereas FFA4 is unrelated. However, FFA1 and FFA4 are activated by long-chain fatty acids, while FFA2 and FFA3 respond to short-chain fatty acids generated by intestinal microbiota. FFA1, FFA2, and FFA4 are potential drug targets for metabolic and inflammatory conditions. Here, we determined the active structures of FFA1 and FFA4 bound to docosahexaenoic acid, FFA4 bound to the synthetic agonist TUG-891, and butyrate-bound FFA2, each complexed with an engineered heterotrimeric Gq protein (miniGq), by cryo-electron microscopy. Together with computational simulations and mutagenesis studies, we elucidated the similarities and differences in the binding modes of fatty acid ligands to their respective GPCRs. Our findings unveiled distinct mechanisms of receptor activation and G protein coupling. We anticipate that these outcomes will facilitate structure-based drug development and underpin future research on this group of GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Abdul-Akim Guseinov
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Laura Jenkins
- Centre for Translational Pharmacology, School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
| | - Kunpeng Li
- Cryo-EM Core Facility, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Irina G. Tikhonova
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Graeme Milligan
- Centre for Translational Pharmacology, School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
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12
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Zhang X, Weiß T, Cheng MH, Chen S, Ambrosius CK, Czerniak AS, Li K, Feng M, Bahar I, Beck-Sickinger AG, Zhang C. Structural basis of G protein-Coupled receptor CMKLR1 activation and signaling induced by a chemerin-derived agonist. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002188. [PMID: 38055679 PMCID: PMC10699647 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1), also known as chemerin receptor 23 (ChemR23) or chemerin receptor 1, is a chemoattractant G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that responds to the adipokine chemerin and is highly expressed in innate immune cells, including macrophages and neutrophils. The signaling pathways of CMKLR1 can lead to both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects depending on the ligands and physiological contexts. To understand the molecular mechanisms of CMKLR1 signaling, we determined a high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the CMKLR1-Gi signaling complex with chemerin9, a nanopeptide agonist derived from chemerin, which induced complex phenotypic changes of macrophages in our assays. The cryo-EM structure, together with molecular dynamics simulations and mutagenesis studies, revealed the molecular basis of CMKLR1 signaling by elucidating the interactions at the ligand-binding pocket and the agonist-induced conformational changes. Our results are expected to facilitate the development of small molecule CMKLR1 agonists that mimic the action of chemerin9 to promote the resolution of inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Tina Weiß
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mary Hongying Cheng
- Department of Computational and System Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Siqi Chen
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, United States of America
| | | | - Anne Sophie Czerniak
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kunpeng Li
- Cryo-EM core facility, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Mingye Feng
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, United States of America
| | - Ivet Bahar
- Department of Computational and System Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Cheng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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13
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Do HN, Wang J, Miao Y. Deep Learning Dynamic Allostery of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors. JACS AU 2023; 3:3165-3180. [PMID: 38034960 PMCID: PMC10685416 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) make up the largest superfamily of human membrane proteins and represent primary targets of ∼1/3 of currently marketed drugs. Allosteric modulators have emerged as more selective drug candidates compared with orthosteric agonists and antagonists. However, many X-ray and cryo-EM structures of GPCRs resolved so far exhibit negligible differences upon the binding of positive and negative allosteric modulators (PAMs and NAMs). The mechanism of dynamic allosteric modulation in GPCRs remains unclear. In this work, we have systematically mapped dynamic changes in free energy landscapes of GPCRs upon binding of allosteric modulators using the Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD), deep learning (DL), and free energy prOfiling Workflow (GLOW). GaMD simulations were performed for a total of 66 μs on 44 GPCR systems in the presence and absence of the modulator. DL and free energy calculations revealed significantly reduced dynamic fluctuations and conformational space of GPCRs upon modulator binding. While the modulator-free GPCRs often sampled multiple low-energy conformational states, the NAMs and PAMs confined the inactive and active agonist-G-protein-bound GPCRs, respectively, to mostly only one specific conformation for signaling. Such cooperative effects were significantly reduced for binding of the selective modulators to "non-cognate" receptor subtypes. Therefore, GPCR allostery exhibits a dynamic "conformational selection" mechanism. In the absence of available modulator-bound structures as for most current GPCRs, it is critical to use a structural ensemble of representative GPCR conformations rather than a single structure for compound docking ("ensemble docking"), which will potentially improve structure-based design of novel allosteric drugs of GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jinan Wang
- Computational Biology Program
and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, United States
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14
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Papadourakis M, Sinenka H, Matricon P, Hénin J, Brannigan G, Pérez-Benito L, Pande V, van Vlijmen H, de Graaf C, Deflorian F, Tresadern G, Cecchini M, Cournia Z. Alchemical Free Energy Calculations on Membrane-Associated Proteins. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:7437-7458. [PMID: 37902715 PMCID: PMC11017255 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Membrane proteins have diverse functions within cells and are well-established drug targets. The advances in membrane protein structural biology have revealed drug and lipid binding sites on membrane proteins, while computational methods such as molecular simulations can resolve the thermodynamic basis of these interactions. Particularly, alchemical free energy calculations have shown promise in the calculation of reliable and reproducible binding free energies of protein-ligand and protein-lipid complexes in membrane-associated systems. In this review, we present an overview of representative alchemical free energy studies on G-protein-coupled receptors, ion channels, transporters as well as protein-lipid interactions, with emphasis on best practices and critical aspects of running these simulations. Additionally, we analyze challenges and successes when running alchemical free energy calculations on membrane-associated proteins. Finally, we highlight the value of alchemical free energy calculations calculations in drug discovery and their applicability in the pharmaceutical industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michail Papadourakis
- Biomedical
Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Hryhory Sinenka
- Institut
de Chimie de Strasbourg, UMR7177, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, F-67083 Strasbourg Cedex, France
| | - Pierre Matricon
- Sosei
Heptares, Steinmetz Building,
Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6DG, United
Kingdom
| | - Jérôme Hénin
- Laboratoire
de Biochimie Théorique UPR 9080, CNRS and Université Paris Cité, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Grace Brannigan
- Center
for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University−Camden, Camden, New Jersey 08103, United States of America
- Department
of Physics, Rutgers University−Camden, Camden, New Jersey 08102, United States
of America
| | - Laura Pérez-Benito
- CADD,
In Silico Discovery, Janssen Research &
Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Vineet Pande
- CADD,
In Silico Discovery, Janssen Research &
Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Herman van Vlijmen
- CADD,
In Silico Discovery, Janssen Research &
Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Chris de Graaf
- Sosei
Heptares, Steinmetz Building,
Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6DG, United
Kingdom
| | - Francesca Deflorian
- Sosei
Heptares, Steinmetz Building,
Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6DG, United
Kingdom
| | - Gary Tresadern
- CADD,
In Silico Discovery, Janssen Research &
Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Marco Cecchini
- Institut
de Chimie de Strasbourg, UMR7177, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, F-67083 Strasbourg Cedex, France
| | - Zoe Cournia
- Biomedical
Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou, 11527 Athens, Greece
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15
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Yang J, Jiang C, Chen J, Qin L, Cheng G. Predicting GPR40 Agonists with A Deep Learning-Based Ensemble Model. ChemistryOpen 2023; 12:e202300051. [PMID: 37404062 PMCID: PMC10661831 DOI: 10.1002/open.202300051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have identified G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) as a promising target for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, and GPR40 agonists have several superior effects over other hypoglycemic drugs, including cardiovascular protection and suppression of glucagon levels. In this study, we constructed an up-to-date GPR40 ligand dataset for training models and performed a systematic optimization of the ensemble model, resulting in a powerful ensemble model (ROC AUC: 0.9496) for distinguishing GPR40 agonists and non-agonists. The ensemble model is divided into three layers, and the optimization process is carried out in each layer. We believe that these results will prove helpful for both the development of GPR40 agonists and ensemble models. All the data and models are available on GitHub. (https://github.com/Jiamin-Yang/ensemble_model).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiamin Yang
- School of Pharmaceutical SciencesZhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityHangzhouP. R. China310053
| | - Chen Jiang
- School of Pharmaceutical SciencesZhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityHangzhouP. R. China310053
| | - Jing Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical SciencesZhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityHangzhouP. R. China310053
| | - Lu‐Ping Qin
- School of Pharmaceutical SciencesZhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityHangzhouP. R. China310053
| | - Gang Cheng
- School of Pharmaceutical SciencesZhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityHangzhouP. R. China310053
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16
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Lees JA, Dias JM, Rajamohan F, Fortin JP, O'Connor R, Kong JX, Hughes EAG, Fisher EL, Tuttle JB, Lovett G, Kormos BL, Unwalla RJ, Zhang L, Dechert Schmitt AM, Zhou D, Moran M, Stevens KA, Fennell KF, Varghese AE, Maxwell A, Cote EE, Zhang Y, Han S. An inverse agonist of orphan receptor GPR61 acts by a G protein-competitive allosteric mechanism. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5938. [PMID: 37741852 PMCID: PMC10517971 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41646-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023] Open
Abstract
GPR61 is an orphan GPCR related to biogenic amine receptors. Its association with phenotypes relating to appetite makes it of interest as a druggable target to treat disorders of metabolism and body weight, such as obesity and cachexia. To date, the lack of structural information or a known biological ligand or tool compound has hindered comprehensive efforts to study GPR61 structure and function. Here, we report a structural characterization of GPR61, in both its active-like complex with heterotrimeric G protein and in its inactive state. Moreover, we report the discovery of a potent and selective small-molecule inverse agonist against GPR61 and structural elucidation of its allosteric binding site and mode of action. These findings offer mechanistic insights into an orphan GPCR while providing both a structural framework and tool compound to support further studies of GPR61 function and modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A Lees
- Discovery Sciences, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | - João M Dias
- Discovery Sciences, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | | | | | - Rebecca O'Connor
- Discovery Sciences, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | - Jimmy X Kong
- Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Emily A G Hughes
- Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ethan L Fisher
- Internal Medicine, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | - Jamison B Tuttle
- Internal Medicine, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gabrielle Lovett
- Internal Medicine, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Bethany L Kormos
- Internal Medicine, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Lei Zhang
- Internal Medicine, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Dahui Zhou
- Internal Medicine, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | - Michael Moran
- Internal Medicine, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrew Maxwell
- Discovery Sciences, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | - Emmaline E Cote
- Discovery Sciences, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Internal Medicine, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Seungil Han
- Discovery Sciences, Medicine Design, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT, USA.
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17
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Zhao C, Wang H, Liu Y, Cheng L, Wang B, Tian X, Fu H, Wu C, Li Z, Shen C, Yu J, Yang S, Hu H, Fu P, Ma L, Wang C, Yan W, Shao Z. Biased allosteric activation of ketone body receptor HCAR2 suppresses inflammation. Mol Cell 2023; 83:3171-3187.e7. [PMID: 37597514 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 2 (HCAR2), modulated by endogenous ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate and exogenous niacin, is a promising therapeutic target for inflammation-related diseases. HCAR2 mediates distinct pathophysiological events by activating Gi/o protein or β-arrestin effectors. Here, we characterize compound 9n as a Gi-biased allosteric modulator (BAM) of HCAR2 and exhibit anti-inflammatory efficacy in RAW264.7 macrophages via a specific HCAR2-Gi pathway. Furthermore, four structures of HCAR2-Gi complex bound to orthosteric agonists (niacin or monomethyl fumarate), compound 9n, and niacin together with compound 9n simultaneously reveal a common orthosteric site and a unique allosteric site. Combined with functional studies, we decipher the action framework of biased allosteric modulation of compound 9n on the orthosteric site. Moreover, co-administration of compound 9n with orthosteric agonists could enhance anti-inflammatory effects in the mouse model of colitis. Together, our study provides insight to understand the molecular pharmacology of the BAM and facilitates exploring the therapeutic potential of the BAM with orthosteric drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Zhao
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Heli Wang
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Lin Cheng
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610000, Sichuan, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaowen Tian
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Hong Fu
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Chao Wu
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Ziyan Li
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Chenglong Shen
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Jingjing Yu
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Shengyong Yang
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China
| | - Hongbo Hu
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Ping Fu
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Liang Ma
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
| | - Chuanxin Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250033, Shandong, China.
| | - Wei Yan
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China.
| | - Zhenhua Shao
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China; Frontiers Medical Center, Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory, Chengdu 610212, Sichuan, China.
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18
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Maria-Solano MA, Choi S. Dynamic allosteric networks drive adenosine A 1 receptor activation and G-protein coupling. eLife 2023; 12:RP90773. [PMID: 37656635 PMCID: PMC10473838 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) present specific activation pathways and signaling among receptor subtypes. Hence, an extensive knowledge of the structural dynamics of the receptor is critical for the development of therapeutics. Here, we target the adenosine A1 receptor (A1R), for which a negligible number of drugs have been approved. We combine molecular dynamics simulations, enhanced sampling techniques, network theory and pocket detection to decipher the activation pathway of A1R, decode the allosteric networks and identify transient pockets. The A1R activation pathway reveal hidden intermediate and pre-active states together with the inactive and fully-active states observed experimentally. The protein energy networks computed throughout these conformational states successfully unravel the extra and intracellular allosteric centers and the communication pathways that couples them. We observe that the allosteric networks are dynamic, being increased along activation and fine-tuned in presence of the trimeric G-proteins. Overlap of transient pockets and energy networks uncover how the allosteric coupling between pockets and distinct functional regions of the receptor is altered along activation. By an in-depth analysis of the bridge between activation pathway, energy networks and transient pockets, we provide a further understanding of A1R. This information can be useful to ease the design of allosteric modulators for A1R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Maria-Solano
- Global AI Drug Discovery Center, College of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Ewha Womans UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Sun Choi
- Global AI Drug Discovery Center, College of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Ewha Womans UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
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19
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Zhang X, Guseinov AA, Jenkins L, Li K, Tikhonova IG, Milligan G, Zhang C. Structural basis for the ligand recognition and signaling of free fatty acid receptors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.20.553924. [PMID: 37662198 PMCID: PMC10473637 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.20.553924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Free fatty acid receptors 1-4 (FFA1-4) are class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). FFA1-3 share substantial sequence similarity whereas FFA4 is unrelated. Despite this FFA1 and FFA4 are activated by the same range of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) whilst FFA2 and FFA3 are instead activated by short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) generated by the intestinal microbiota. Each of FFA1, 2 and 4 are promising targets for novel drug development in metabolic and inflammatory conditions. To gain insights into the basis of ligand interactions with, and molecular mechanisms underlying activation of, FFAs by LCFAs and SCFAs, we determined the active structures of FFA1 and FFA4 bound to the polyunsaturated LCFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), FFA4 bound to the synthetic agonist TUG-891, as well as SCFA butyrate-bound FFA2, each complexed with an engineered heterotrimeric Gq protein (miniGq), by cryo-electron microscopy. Together with computational simulations and mutagenesis studies, we elucidated the similarities and differences in the binding modes of fatty acid ligands with varying chain lengths to their respective GPCRs. Our findings unveil distinct mechanisms of receptor activation and G protein coupling. We anticipate that these outcomes will facilitate structure-based drug development and underpin future research to understand allosteric modulation and biased signaling of this group of GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15261, USA
| | - Abdul-Akim Guseinov
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Jenkins
- Centre for Translational Pharmacology, School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Kunpeng Li
- Cryo-EM core facility, Case Western Reserve University, OH44106, USA
| | - Irina G. Tikhonova
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Graeme Milligan
- Centre for Translational Pharmacology, School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15261, USA
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20
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Powers AS, Khan A, Paggi JM, Latorraca NR, Souza S, Salvo JD, Lu J, Soisson SM, Johnston JM, Weinglass AB, Dror RO. A non-canonical mechanism of GPCR activation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.14.553154. [PMID: 37645874 PMCID: PMC10462065 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.14.553154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The goal of designing safer, more effective drugs has led to tremendous interest in molecular mechanisms through which ligands can precisely manipulate signaling of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest class of drug targets. Decades of research have led to the widely accepted view that all agonists-ligands that trigger GPCR activation-function by causing rearrangement of the GPCR's transmembrane helices, opening an intracellular pocket for binding of transducer proteins. Here we demonstrate that certain agonists instead trigger activation of free fatty acid receptor 1 by directly rearranging an intracellular loop that interacts with transducers. We validate the predictions of our atomic-level simulations by targeted mutagenesis; specific mutations which disrupt interactions with the intracellular loop convert these agonists into inverse agonists. Further analysis suggests that allosteric ligands could regulate signaling of many other GPCRs via a similar mechanism, offering rich possibilities for precise control of pharmaceutically important targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S Powers
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Aasma Khan
- Department of Quantitative Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
| | - Joseph M Paggi
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Naomi R Latorraca
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Sarah Souza
- Department of Quantitative Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
| | | | - Jun Lu
- Department of Structural Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
- Small Molecule Discovery, Zai Lab (US) LLC, 314 Main Street, Suite 04-100, Cambridge, MA 02142
| | - Stephen M Soisson
- Department of Structural Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
- Protein Therapeutics and Structural Biology, Odyssey Therapeutics, 51 Sleeper Street, Suite 800, Boston, MA 02210
| | | | - Adam B Weinglass
- Department of Quantitative Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA, USA
| | - Ron O Dror
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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21
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Yuan J, Yang B, Hou G, Xie XQ, Feng Z. Targeting the endocannabinoid system: Structural determinants and molecular mechanism of allosteric modulation. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103615. [PMID: 37172889 PMCID: PMC10330941 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Although drugs targeting the orthosteric binding site of cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) have several therapeutic effects on human physiological and pathological conditions, they can also cause serious adverse effects. Only a few orthosteric ligands have successfully passed clinical trials. Recently, allosteric modulation has become a novel option for drug discovery, with fewer adverse effects and the potential to avoid drug overdose. In this review, we highlight novel findings related to the drug discovery of allosteric modulators (AMs) targeting CBRs. We summarize newly synthesized AMs and the reported/predicted allosteric binding sites. We also discuss the structural determinants of the AMs binding as well as the molecular mechanism of CBR allostery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Yuan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, and Pharmacometrics & System Pharmacology PharmacoAnalytics, School of Pharmacy; National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research; Drug Discovery Institute; Departments of Computational Biology and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Bo Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, and Pharmacometrics & System Pharmacology PharmacoAnalytics, School of Pharmacy; National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research; Drug Discovery Institute; Departments of Computational Biology and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Guanyu Hou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, and Pharmacometrics & System Pharmacology PharmacoAnalytics, School of Pharmacy; National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research; Drug Discovery Institute; Departments of Computational Biology and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Xiang-Qun Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, and Pharmacometrics & System Pharmacology PharmacoAnalytics, School of Pharmacy; National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research; Drug Discovery Institute; Departments of Computational Biology and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Zhiwei Feng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, and Pharmacometrics & System Pharmacology PharmacoAnalytics, School of Pharmacy; National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research; Drug Discovery Institute; Departments of Computational Biology and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States.
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22
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Prado TP, Jara CP, Dias Bóbbo VC, Carraro RS, Sidarta-Oliveira D, de Mendonça GRA, Velloso LA, Araújo EP. A Free Fatty Acid Synthetic Agonist Accelerates Wound Healing and Improves Scar Quality in Mice. Biol Res Nurs 2023; 25:353-366. [PMID: 36444640 DOI: 10.1177/10998004221142331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impaired wound healing is a health problem around the world, and the search for a novel product to repair wounded skin is a major topic in the field. GW9508 is a synthetic molecule described as a selective agonist of free fatty acid receptors (FFARs) 1 and 4, and there is evidence of its anti-inflammatory effects on several organs of the body. PURPOSE Here, we aimed to evaluate the effects of topical GW9508 on wound healing in mice. RESEARCH DESIGN First, we used bioinformatic methods to determine the expression of FFAR1 and FFAR4 mRNA in the skin from a human cell atlas assembled with single-cell transcriptomes. Next, we employed 6-week-old C57BL6J mice with 2 wounds inflicted in the back. The mice were randomly divided into 2 groups, a control group, which received topical vehicle, and a treatment group, which received GW9508, for 12 days. The wound was monitored by photographic documentation every 2 days, and samples were collected at day 6 and 12 post injury for RT-PCR, western blot and histology analyses. RESULTS FFAR1 and FFAR4 mRNA are expressed in skin cells in similar amounts to those in other tissues. Topical GW9508 accelerated wound healing and decreased gene expression of IL-10 and metalloproteinase 9 on days 6 and 12 post injury. It increased the quantity of Collagen I and improved the organization of collagen fibres. Conclusions: Our results show that GW9508 could be an attractive drug treatment for wounded skin. Future studies need to be performed to assess the impact of GW9508 in chronic wound models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thais P Prado
- Nursing School, Laboratory of Cell Signaling Obesity and Comorbidities Center, OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Center - OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Carlos P Jara
- Nursing School, Laboratory of Cell Signaling Obesity and Comorbidities Center, OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Center - OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Vanessa C Dias Bóbbo
- Nursing School, Laboratory of Cell Signaling Obesity and Comorbidities Center, OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Center - OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo S Carraro
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Center - OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Davi Sidarta-Oliveira
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Center - OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Guilherme R A de Mendonça
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Center - OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Licio A Velloso
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Center - OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Eliana P Araújo
- Nursing School, Laboratory of Cell Signaling Obesity and Comorbidities Center, OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Center - OCRC, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
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23
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Korkus E, Szustak M, Madaj R, Chworos A, Drzazga A, Koziołkiewicz M, Dąbrowski G, Czaplicki S, Konopka I, Gendaszewska-Darmach E. Trans-palmitoleic acid, a dairy fat biomarker, stimulates insulin secretion and activates G protein-coupled receptors with a different mechanism from the cis isomer. Food Funct 2023. [PMID: 37368452 DOI: 10.1039/d2fo03412c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Dietary trans-palmitoleic acid (trans 16:1n-7, tPOA), a biomarker for high-fat dairy product intake, has been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in some cross-sectional and prospective epidemiological studies. Here, we investigated the insulin secretion-promoting activity of tPOA and compared them with the effects evoked by the cis-POA isomer (cPOA), an endogenous lipokine biosynthesized in the liver and adipose tissue, and found in some natural food sources. The debate about the positive and negative relationships of those two POA isomers with metabolic risk factors and the underlying mechanisms is still going on. Therefore, we examined the potency of both POA isomers to potentiate insulin secretion in murine and human pancreatic β cell lines. We also investigated whether POA isomers activate G protein-coupled receptors proposed as potential targets for T2DM treatment. We show that tPOA and cPOA augment glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) to a similar extent; however, their insulin secretagogue activity is associated with different signaling pathways. We also performed ligand docking and molecular dynamics simulations to predict the preferred orientation of POA isomers and the strength of association between those two fatty acids and GPR40, GPR55, GPR119, and GPR120 receptors. Overall, this study provides insight into the bioactivity of tPOA and cPOA toward selected GPCR functions, indicating them as targets responsible for the insulin secretagogue action of POA isomers. It reveals that both tPOA and cPOA may promote insulin secretion and subsequently regulate glucose homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Korkus
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Institute of Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 2/22, 90-537 Lodz, Poland.
| | - Marcin Szustak
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Institute of Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 2/22, 90-537 Lodz, Poland.
| | - Rafal Madaj
- Division of Bioorganic Chemistry Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sienkiewicza, 112, 90-363 Lodz, Poland
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Arkadiusz Chworos
- Division of Bioorganic Chemistry Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sienkiewicza, 112, 90-363 Lodz, Poland
| | - Anna Drzazga
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Institute of Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 2/22, 90-537 Lodz, Poland.
| | - Maria Koziołkiewicz
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Institute of Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 2/22, 90-537 Lodz, Poland.
| | - Grzegorz Dąbrowski
- Faculty of Food Sciences, Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-957 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Sylwester Czaplicki
- Faculty of Food Sciences, Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-957 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Iwona Konopka
- Faculty of Food Sciences, Chair of Plant Food Chemistry and Processing, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Pl. Cieszyński 1, 10-957 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Edyta Gendaszewska-Darmach
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Institute of Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 2/22, 90-537 Lodz, Poland.
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24
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Zhang X, Weiß T, Cheng MH, Chen S, Ambrosius CK, Czerniak AS, Li K, Feng M, Bahar I, Beck-Sickinger AG, Zhang C. Structural basis of CMKLR1 signaling induced by chemerin9. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.09.544295. [PMID: 37333145 PMCID: PMC10274904 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.09.544295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1), also known as chemerin receptor 23 (ChemR23) or chemerin receptor 1, is a chemoattractant G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that responds to the adipokine chemerin and is highly expressed in innate immune cells, including macrophages and neutrophils. The signaling pathways of CMKLR1 can lead to both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects depending on the ligands and physiological contexts. To understand the molecular mechanisms of CMKLR1 signaling, we determined a high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the CMKLR1-Gi signaling complex with chemerin9, a nanopeptide agonist derived from chemerin, which induced complex phenotypic changes of macrophages in our assays. The cryo-EM structure, together with molecular dynamics simulations and mutagenesis studies, revealed the molecular basis of CMKLR1 signaling by elucidating the interactions at the ligand-binding pocket and the agonist-induced conformational changes. Our results are expected to facilitate the development of small molecule CMKLR1 agonists that mimic the action of chemerin9 to promote the resolution of inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15261, USA
| | - Tina Weiß
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mary Hongying Cheng
- Department of Computational and System Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11974, USA
| | - Siqi Chen
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Carla Katharina Ambrosius
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anne Sophie Czerniak
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kunpeng Li
- Cryo-EM core facility, Case Western Reserve University, OH44106, USA
| | - Mingye Feng
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Ivet Bahar
- Department of Computational and System Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11974, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11974, USA
| | - Annette G. Beck-Sickinger
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA15261, USA
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25
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Kumari P, Inoue A, Chapman K, Lian P, Rosenbaum DM. Molecular mechanism of fatty acid activation of FFAR1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2219569120. [PMID: 37216523 PMCID: PMC10235965 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2219569120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
FFAR1 is a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that responds to circulating free fatty acids to enhance glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and release of incretin hormones. Due to the glucose-lowering effect of FFAR1 activation, potent agonists for this receptor have been developed for the treatment of diabetes. Previous structural and biochemical studies of FFAR1 showed multiple sites of ligand binding to the inactive state but left the mechanism of fatty acid interaction and receptor activation unknown. We used cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate structures of activated FFAR1 bound to a Gq mimetic, which were induced either by the endogenous FFA ligand docosahexaenoic acid or γ-linolenic acid and the agonist drug TAK-875. Our data identify the orthosteric pocket for fatty acids and show how both endogenous hormones and synthetic agonists induce changes in helical packing along the outside of the receptor that propagate to exposure of the G-protein-coupling site. These structures show how FFAR1 functions without the highly conserved "DRY" and "NPXXY" motifs of class A GPCRs and also illustrate how the orthosteric site of a receptor can be bypassed by membrane-embedded drugs to confer full activation of G protein signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Punita Kumari
- Department of Biophysics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
| | - Asuka Inoue
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai980-8578, Japan
| | - Karen Chapman
- Department of Biophysics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
| | - Peng Lian
- BioHPC at the Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
| | - Daniel M. Rosenbaum
- Department of Biophysics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390
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26
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Mao C, Xiao P, Tao XN, Qin J, He QT, Zhang C, Guo SC, Du YQ, Chen LN, Shen DD, Yang ZS, Zhang HQ, Huang SM, He YH, Cheng J, Zhong YN, Shang P, Chen J, Zhang DL, Wang QL, Liu MX, Li GY, Guo Y, Xu HE, Wang C, Zhang C, Feng S, Yu X, Zhang Y, Sun JP. Unsaturated bond recognition leads to biased signal in a fatty acid receptor. Science 2023; 380:eadd6220. [PMID: 36862765 DOI: 10.1126/science.add6220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Individual free fatty acids (FAs) play important roles in metabolic homeostasis, many through engagement with more than 40G protein-coupled receptors. Searching for receptors to sense beneficial omega-3 FAs of fish oil enabled the identification of GPR120, which is involved in a spectrum of metabolic diseases. Here, we report six cryo-electron microscopy structures of GPR120 in complex with FA hormones or TUG891 and Gi or Giq trimers. Aromatic residues inside the GPR120 ligand pocket were responsible for recognizing different double-bond positions of these FAs and connect ligand recognition to distinct effector coupling. We also investigated synthetic ligand selectivity and the structural basis of missense single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We reveal how GPR120 differentiates rigid double bonds and flexible single bonds. The knowledge gleaned here may facilitate rational drug design targeting to GPR120.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyou Mao
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Peng Xiao
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Xiao-Na Tao
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Beijing 100191, China
- The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Jiao Qin
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qing-Tao He
- Department of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Sheng-Chao Guo
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Ya-Qin Du
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Li-Nan Chen
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Dan-Dan Shen
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zhi-Shuai Yang
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Han-Qiong Zhang
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Shen-Ming Huang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yong-Hao He
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Jie Cheng
- Advanced Medical Research Institute, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Ya-Ni Zhong
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Pan Shang
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Dao-Lai Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China
| | - Qian-Lang Wang
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Mei-Xia Liu
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Guo-Yu Li
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Yongyuan Guo
- Department of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - H Eric Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Center for Structure and Function of Drug Targets, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Chuanxin Wang
- The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Shiqing Feng
- The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- Department of Orthopedics, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Xiao Yu
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou 311121, China
- MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Research and Development Center for E-Learning, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100816, China
| | - Jin-Peng Sun
- Key Laboratory Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Beijing 100191, China
- Advanced Medical Research Institute, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China
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27
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Krumm BE, DiBerto JF, Olsen RHJ, Kang HJ, Slocum ST, Zhang S, Strachan RT, Huang XP, Slosky LM, Pinkerton AB, Barak LS, Caron MG, Kenakin T, Fay JF, Roth BL. Neurotensin Receptor Allosterism Revealed in Complex with a Biased Allosteric Modulator. Biochemistry 2023; 62:1233-1248. [PMID: 36917754 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
The NTSR1 neurotensin receptor (NTSR1) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) found in the brain and peripheral tissues with neurotensin (NTS) being its endogenous peptide ligand. In the brain, NTS modulates dopamine neuronal activity, induces opioid-independent analgesia, and regulates food intake. Recent studies indicate that biasing NTSR1 toward β-arrestin signaling can attenuate the actions of psychostimulants and other drugs of abuse. Here, we provide the cryoEM structures of NTSR1 ternary complexes with heterotrimeric Gq and GoA with and without the brain-penetrant small-molecule SBI-553. In functional studies, we discovered that SBI-553 displays complex allosteric actions exemplified by negative allosteric modulation for G proteins that are Gα subunit selective and positive allosteric modulation and agonism for β-arrestin translocation at NTSR1. Detailed structural analysis of the allosteric binding site illuminated the structural determinants for biased allosteric modulation of SBI-553 on NTSR1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian E Krumm
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Jeffrey F DiBerto
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Reid H J Olsen
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Hye Jin Kang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (NIMH PDSP), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Samuel T Slocum
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (NIMH PDSP), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Shicheng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Ryan T Strachan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Xi-Ping Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (NIMH PDSP), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Lauren M Slosky
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Anthony B Pinkerton
- Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Lawrence S Barak
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Marc G Caron
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
- Departments of Medicine and Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States
| | - Terry Kenakin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
| | - Jonathan F Fay
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Bryan L Roth
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (NIMH PDSP), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7365, United States
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7360, United States
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28
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Liu Y, Cao C, Huang XP, Gumpper RH, Rachman MM, Shih SL, Krumm BE, Zhang S, Shoichet BK, Fay JF, Roth BL. Ligand recognition and allosteric modulation of the human MRGPRX1 receptor. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:416-422. [PMID: 36302898 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01173-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The human MAS-related G protein-coupled receptor X1 (MRGPRX1) is preferentially expressed in the small-diameter primary sensory neurons and involved in the mediation of nociception and pruritus. Central activation of MRGPRX1 by the endogenous opioid peptide fragment BAM8-22 and its positive allosteric modulator ML382 has been shown to effectively inhibit persistent pain, making MRGPRX1 a promising target for non-opioid pain treatment. However, the activation mechanism of MRGPRX1 is still largely unknown. Here we report three high-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy structures of MRGPRX1-Gαq in complex with BAM8-22 alone, with BAM8-22 and ML382 simultaneously as well as with a synthetic agonist compound-16. These structures reveal the agonist binding mode for MRGPRX1 and illuminate the structural requirements for positive allosteric modulation. Collectively, our findings provide a molecular understanding of the activation and allosteric modulation of the MRGPRX1 receptor, which could facilitate the structure-based design of non-opioid pain-relieving drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongfeng Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Can Cao
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Xi-Ping Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ryan H Gumpper
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Moira M Rachman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sheng-Luen Shih
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Brian E Krumm
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Shicheng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Brian K Shoichet
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan F Fay
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Bryan L Roth
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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29
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Jurica EA, Wu X, Williams KN, Haque LE, Rampulla RA, Mathur A, Zhou M, Cao G, Cai H, Wang T, Liu H, Xu C, Kunselman LK, Antrilli TM, Hicks MB, Sun Q, Dierks EA, Apedo A, Moore DB, Foster KA, Cvijic ME, Panemangalore R, Khandelwal P, Wilkes JJ, Zinker BA, Robertson DG, Janovitz EB, Galella M, Li YX, Li J, Ramar T, Jalagam PR, Jayaram R, Whaley JM, Barrish JC, Robl JA, Ewing WR, Ellsworth BA. Optimization of Physicochemical Properties of Pyrrolidine GPR40 AgoPAMs Results in a Differentiated Profile with Improved Pharmacokinetics and Reduced Off-Target Activities. Bioorg Med Chem 2023; 85:117273. [PMID: 37030194 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2023.117273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
GPR40 AgoPAMs are highly effective antidiabetic agents that have a dual mechanism of action, stimulating both glucose-dependent insulin and GLP-1 secretion. The early lipophilic, aromatic pyrrolidine and dihydropyrazole GPR40 AgoPAMs from our laboratory were highly efficacious in lowering plasma glucose levels in rodents but possessed off-target activities and triggered rebound hyperglycemia in rats at high doses. A focus on increasing molecular complexity through saturation and chirality in combination with reducing polarity for the pyrrolidine AgoPAM chemotype resulted in the discovery of compound 46, which shows significantly reduced off-target activities as well as improved aqueous solubility, rapid absorption, and linear PK. In vivo, compound 46 significantly lowers plasma glucose levels in rats during an oral glucose challenge yet does not demonstrate the reactive hyperglycemia effect at high doses that was observed with earlier GPR40 AgoPAMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Jurica
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States.
| | - Ximao Wu
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Kristin N Williams
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Lauren E Haque
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Richard A Rampulla
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Arvind Mathur
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Min Zhou
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Gary Cao
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Hong Cai
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Tao Wang
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Heng Liu
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Carrie Xu
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Lori K Kunselman
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Thomas M Antrilli
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Michael B Hicks
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Qin Sun
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Dierks
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Atsu Apedo
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Douglas B Moore
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Kimberly A Foster
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Mary Ellen Cvijic
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Reshma Panemangalore
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Purnima Khandelwal
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Jason J Wilkes
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Bradley A Zinker
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Donald G Robertson
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Evan B Janovitz
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Michael Galella
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Yi-Xin Li
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Julia Li
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Thangeswaran Ramar
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Prasada Rao Jalagam
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Ramya Jayaram
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Jean M Whaley
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Joel C Barrish
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Jeffrey A Robl
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - William R Ewing
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
| | - Bruce A Ellsworth
- Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Co., P.O. Box 4000, Princeton, NJ 08543-4000, United States
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30
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Zhang L, Mobbs JI, May LT, Glukhova A, Thal DM. The impact of cryo-EM on determining allosteric modulator-bound structures of G protein-coupled receptors. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 79:102560. [PMID: 36848776 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important therapeutic targets for the treatment of human disease. Although GPCRs are highly successful drug targets, there are many challenges associated with the discovery and translation of small molecule ligands that target the endogenous ligand-binding site for GPCRs. Allosteric modulators are a class of ligands that target alternative binding sites known as allosteric sites and offer fresh opportunities for the development of new therapeutics. However, only a few allosteric modulators have been approved as drugs. Advances in GPCR structural biology enabled by the cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) revolution have provided new insights into the molecular mechanism and binding location of small molecule allosteric modulators. This review highlights the latest findings from allosteric modulator-bound structures of Class A, B, and C GPCRs with a focus on small molecule ligands. Emerging methods that will facilitate cryo-EM structures of more difficult ligand-bound GPCR complexes are also discussed. The results of these studies are anticipated to aid future structure-based drug discovery efforts across many different GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liudi Zhang
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia; ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia
| | - Jesse I Mobbs
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia; ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia. https://twitter.com/@JesseMobbs
| | - Lauren T May
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia. https://twitter.com/@laurentmay
| | - Alisa Glukhova
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia; ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia; The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. https://twitter.com/@gl_alisa
| | - David M Thal
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia; ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria Australia.
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31
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Do H, Wang J, Miao Y. Deep Learning Dynamic Allostery of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2543463. [PMID: 36865316 PMCID: PMC9980202 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2543463/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest superfamily of human membrane proteins and represent primary targets of ~ 1/3 of currently marketed drugs. Allosteric modulators have emerged as more selective drug candidates compared with orthosteric agonists and antagonists. However, many X-ray and cryo-EM structures of GPCRs resolved so far exhibit negligible differences upon binding of positive and negative allosteric modulators (PAMs and NAMs). Mechanism of dynamic allosteric modulation in GPCRs remains unclear. In this work, we have systematically mapped dynamic changes in free energy landscapes of GPCRs upon binding of allosteric modulators using the Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD), Deep Learning (DL) and free energy prOfiling Workflow (GLOW). A total of 18 available high-resolution experimental structures of allosteric modulator-bound class A and B GPCRs were collected for simulations. A number of 8 computational models were generated to examine selectivity of the modulators by changing their target receptors to different subtypes. All-atom GaMD simulations were performed for a total of 66 μs on 44 GPCR systems in the presence/absence of the modulator. DL and free energy calculations revealed significantly reduced conformational space of GPCRs upon modulator binding. While the modulator-free GPCRs often sampled multiple low-energy conformational states, the NAMs and PAMs confined the inactive and active agonist-G protein-bound GPCRs, respectively, to mostly only one specific conformation for signaling. Such cooperative effects were significantly reduced for binding of the selective modulators to "non-cognate" receptor subtypes in the computational models. Therefore, comprehensive DL of extensive GaMD simulations has revealed a general dynamic mechanism of GPCR allostery, which will greatly facilitate rational design of selective allosteric drugs of GPCRs.
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32
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Shen S, Zhao C, Wu C, Sun S, Li Z, Yan W, Shao Z. Allosteric modulation of G protein-coupled receptor signaling. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1137604. [PMID: 36875468 PMCID: PMC9978769 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1137604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest family of transmembrane proteins, regulate a wide array of physiological processes in response to extracellular signals. Although these receptors have proven to be the most successful class of drug targets, their complicated signal transduction pathways (including different effector G proteins and β-arrestins) and mediation by orthosteric ligands often cause difficulties for drug development, such as on- or off-target effects. Interestingly, identification of ligands that engage allosteric binding sites, which are different from classic orthosteric sites, can promote pathway-specific effects in cooperation with orthosteric ligands. Such pharmacological properties of allosteric modulators offer new strategies to design safer GPCR-targeted therapeutics for various diseases. Here, we explore recent structural studies of GPCRs bound to allosteric modulators. Our inspection of all GPCR families reveals recognition mechanisms of allosteric regulation. More importantly, this review highlights the diversity of allosteric sites and presents how allosteric modulators control specific GPCR pathways to provide opportunities for the development of new valuable agents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Wei Yan
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhenhua Shao
- Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research Institute, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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33
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Tzortzini E, Corey RA, Kolocouris A. Comparative Study of Receptor-, Receptor State-, and Membrane-Dependent Cholesterol Binding Sites in A 2A and A 1 Adenosine Receptors Using Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:928-949. [PMID: 36637988 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
We used coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG MD) simulations to study protein-cholesterol interactions for different activation states of the A2A adenosine receptor (A2AR) and the A1 adenosine receptor (A1R) and predict new cholesterol binding sites indicating amino acid residues with a high residence time in three biologically relevant membranes. Compared to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)-cholesterol and POPC-phosphatidylinositol-bisphosphate (PIP2)-cholesterol, the plasma mimetic membrane best described the cholesterol binding sites previously detected for the inactive state of A2AR and revealed the binding sites with long-lasting amino acid residues. We observed that using the plasma mimetic membrane and plotting residues with cholesterol residence time ≥2 μs, our CG MD simulations captured most obviously the cholesterol-protein interactions. For the inactive A2AR, we identified one more binding site in which cholesterol is bound to residues with a long residence time compared to the previously detected, for the active A1R, three binding sites, and for the inactive A1R, two binding sites. We calculated that for the active states, cholesterol binds to residues with a much longer residence time compared to the inactive state for both A2AR and A1R. The stability of the identified binding sites to A1R or A2AR with CG MD simulations was additionally investigated with potential of mean force calculations using umbrella sampling. We observed that the binding sites with residues to which cholesterol has a long residence time in A2AR have shallow binding free energy minima compared to the related binding sites in A1R, suggesting a stronger binding for cholesterol to A1R. The differences in binding sites in which cholesterol is stabilized and interacts with residues with a long residence time between active and inactive states of A1R and A2AR can be important for differences in functional activity and orthosteric agonist or antagonist affinity and can be used for the design of allosteric modulators, which can bind through lipid pathways. We observed a stronger binding for cholesterol to A1R (i.e., generally higher association rates) compared to A2AR, which remains to be demonstrated. For the active states, cholesterol binds to residues with much longer residence times compared to the inactive state for both A2AR and A1R. Taken together, binding sites of active A1R may be considered as promising allosteric targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efpraxia Tzortzini
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Section of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis-Zografou, 15771Athens, Greece
| | - Robin A Corey
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Antonios Kolocouris
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Section of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis-Zografou, 15771Athens, Greece
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Do HN, Wang J, Miao Y. Deep Learning Dynamic Allostery of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.15.524128. [PMID: 36711515 PMCID: PMC9882226 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.15.524128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest superfamily of human membrane proteins and represent primary targets of ~1/3 of currently marketed drugs. Allosteric modulators have emerged as more selective drug candidates compared with orthosteric agonists and antagonists. However, many X-ray and cryo-EM structures of GPCRs resolved so far exhibit negligible differences upon binding of positive and negative allosteric modulators (PAMs and NAMs). Mechanism of dynamic allosteric modulation in GPCRs remains unclear. In this work, we have systematically mapped dynamic changes in free energy landscapes of GPCRs upon binding of allosteric modulators using the Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD), Deep Learning (DL) and free energy prOfiling Workflow (GLOW). A total of 18 available high-resolution experimental structures of allosteric modulator-bound class A and B GPCRs were collected for simulations. A number of 8 computational models were generated to examine selectivity of the modulators by changing their target receptors to different subtypes. All-atom GaMD simulations were performed for a total of 66 μs on 44 GPCR systems in the presence/absence of the modulator. DL and free energy calculations revealed significantly reduced conformational space of GPCRs upon modulator binding. While the modulator-free GPCRs often sampled multiple low-energy conformational states, the NAMs and PAMs confined the inactive and active agonist-G protein-bound GPCRs, respectively, to mostly only one specific conformation for signaling. Such cooperative effects were significantly reduced for binding of the selective modulators to "non-cognate" receptor subtypes in the computational models. Therefore, comprehensive DL of extensive GaMD simulations has revealed a general dynamic mechanism of GPCR allostery, which will greatly facilitate rational design of selective allosteric drugs of GPCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung N. Do
- Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047
| | - Jinan Wang
- Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047
| | - Yinglong Miao
- Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047
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Guan HP, Xiong Y. Learn from failures and stay hopeful to GPR40, a GPCR target with robust efficacy, for therapy of metabolic disorders. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1043828. [PMID: 36386134 PMCID: PMC9640913 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1043828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
GPR40 is a class A G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) mainly expressed in pancreas, intestine, and brain. Its endogenous ligand is long-chain fatty acids, which activate GPR40 after meal ingestion to induce secretion of incretins in the gut, including GLP-1, GIP, and PYY, the latter control appetite and glucose metabolism. For its involvement in satiety regulation and metabolic homeostasis, partial and AgoPAM (Positive Allosteric Modulation agonist) GPR40 agonists had been developed for type 2 diabetes (T2D) by many pharmaceutical companies. The proof-of-concept of GPR40 for control of hyperglycemia was achieved by clinical trials of partial GPR40 agonist, TAK-875, demonstrating a robust decrease in HbA1c (-1.12%) after chronic treatment in T2D. The development of TAK-875, however, was terminated due to liver toxicity in 2.7% patients with more than 3-fold increase of ALT in phase II and III clinical trials. Different mechanisms had since been proposed to explain the drug-induced liver injury, including acyl glucuronidation, inhibition of mitochondrial respiration and hepatobiliary transporters, ROS generation, etc. In addition, activation of GPR40 by AgoPAM agonists in pancreas was also linked to β-cell damage in rats. Notwithstanding the multiple safety concerns on the development of small-molecule GPR40 agonists for T2D, some partial and AgoPAM GPR40 agonists are still under clinical development. Here we review the most recent progress of GPR40 agonists development and the possible mechanisms of the side effects in different organs, and discuss the possibility of developing novel strategies that retain the robust efficacy of GPR40 agonists for metabolic disorders while avoid toxicities caused by off-target and on-target mechanisms.
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36
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Peng X, Yang L, Liu Z, Lou S, Mei S, Li M, Chen Z, Zhang H. Structural basis for recognition of antihistamine drug by human histamine receptor. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6105. [PMID: 36243875 PMCID: PMC9569329 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33880-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The histamine receptors belong to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, and play important roles in the regulation of histamine and other neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, as potential targets for the treatment of neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Here we report the crystal structure of human histamine receptor H3R bound to an antagonist PF-03654746 at 2.6 Å resolution. Combined with the computational and functional assays, our structure reveals binding modes of the antagonist and allosteric cholesterol. Molecular dynamic simulations and molecular docking of different antihistamines further elucidate the conserved ligand-binding modes. These findings are therefore expected to facilitate the structure-based design of novel antihistamines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueqian Peng
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XHangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
| | - Linlin Yang
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 450052 Zhengzhou, Henan China
| | - Zixuan Liu
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XHangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
| | - Siyi Lou
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XHangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
| | - Shiliu Mei
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XHangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
| | - Meiling Li
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 450052 Zhengzhou, Henan China
| | - Zhong Chen
- grid.268505.c0000 0000 8744 8924Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 310053 Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
| | - Haitao Zhang
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XHangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, Zhejiang China ,grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XThe Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310009 Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
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Ding T, Karlov DS, Pino-Angeles A, Tikhonova IG. Intermolecular Interactions in G Protein-Coupled Receptor Allosteric Sites at the Membrane Interface from Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Quantum Chemical Calculations. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:4736-4747. [PMID: 36178787 PMCID: PMC9554917 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Allosteric modulators are called promising candidates in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug development by displaying subtype selectivity and more specific receptor modulation. Among the allosteric sites known to date, cavities at the receptor-lipid interface represent an uncharacteristic binding location that raises many questions about the ligand interactions and stability, the binding site structure, and how all of these are affected by lipid molecules. In this work, we analyze interactions in the allosteric sites of the PAR2, C5aR1, and GCGR receptors in three lipid compositions using molecular dynamics simulations. In addition, we performed quantum chemical calculations involving the symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) and the natural population analysis to quantify the strength of intermolecular interactions. We show that besides classical hydrogen bonds, weak polar interactions such as O-HC, O-Br, and long-range electrostatics with the backbone amides contribute to the stability of allosteric modulators at the receptor-lipid interface. The allosteric cavities are detectable in various membrane compositions. The availability of polar atoms for interactions in such cavities can be assessed by water molecules from simulations. Although ligand-lipid interactions are weak, lipid tails play a role in ligand binding pose stability and the size of allosteric cavities. We discuss physicochemical aspects of ligand binding at the receptor-lipid interface and suggest a compound library enriched by weak donor groups for ligand search in such sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyi Ding
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern IrelandBT9 7BL, U.K
| | - Dmitry S Karlov
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern IrelandBT9 7BL, U.K
| | - Almudena Pino-Angeles
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern IrelandBT9 7BL, U.K
| | - Irina G Tikhonova
- School of Pharmacy, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern IrelandBT9 7BL, U.K
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38
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McGlone ER, Ansell TB, Dunsterville C, Song W, Carling D, Tomas A, Bloom SR, Sansom MSP, Tan T, Jones B. Hepatocyte cholesterol content modulates glucagon receptor signalling. Mol Metab 2022; 63:101530. [PMID: 35718339 PMCID: PMC9254120 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether glucagon receptor (GCGR) actions are modulated by cellular cholesterol levels. METHODS We determined the effects of experimental cholesterol depletion and loading on glucagon-mediated cAMP production, ligand internalisation and glucose production in human hepatoma cells, mouse and human hepatocytes. GCGR interactions with lipid bilayers were explored using coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations. Glucagon responsiveness was measured in mice fed a high cholesterol diet with or without simvastatin to modulate hepatocyte cholesterol content. RESULTS GCGR cAMP signalling was reduced by higher cholesterol levels across different cellular models. Ex vivo glucagon-induced glucose output from mouse hepatocytes was enhanced by simvastatin treatment. Mice fed a high cholesterol diet had increased hepatic cholesterol and a blunted hyperglycaemic response to glucagon, both of which were partially reversed by simvastatin. Simulations identified likely membrane-exposed cholesterol binding sites on the GCGR, including a site where cholesterol is a putative negative allosteric modulator. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that cellular cholesterol content influences glucagon sensitivity and indicate a potential molecular basis for this phenomenon. This could be relevant to the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is associated with both hepatic cholesterol accumulation and glucagon resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Rose McGlone
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom; Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | - T Bertie Ansell
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.
| | - Cecilia Dunsterville
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | - Wanling Song
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.
| | - David Carling
- Cellular Stress Research Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | - Alejandra Tomas
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | - Stephen R Bloom
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | - Mark S P Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.
| | - Tricia Tan
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
| | - Ben Jones
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
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39
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Structural identification of lysophosphatidylcholines as activating ligands for orphan receptor GPR119. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2022; 29:863-870. [PMID: 35970999 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-022-00816-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is an essential mediator in human lipid metabolism and is associated with a variety of diseases, but the exact identity of LPC receptors remains controversial. Through extensive biochemical and structural analyses, we have identified the orphan receptor GPR119 as the receptor for LPC. The structure of the GPR119-G-protein complex without any added ligands reveals a density map that fits well with LPC, which is further confirmed by mass spectrometry and functional studies. As LPCs are abundant on the cell membrane, their preoccupancy in the receptor may lead to 'constitutive activity' of GPR119. The structure of GPR119 bound to APD668, a clinical drug candidate for type 2 diabetes, reveals an exceedingly similar binding mode to LPC. Together, these data highlight structural evidence for LPC function in regulating glucose-dependent insulin secretion through direct binding and activation of GPR119, and provide structural templates for drug design targeting GPR119.
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40
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Abiko LA, Dias Teixeira R, Engilberge S, Grahl A, Mühlethaler T, Sharpe T, Grzesiek S. Filling of a water-free void explains the allosteric regulation of the β 1-adrenergic receptor by cholesterol. Nat Chem 2022; 14:1133-1141. [PMID: 35953642 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-01009-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Recent high-pressure NMR results indicate that the preactive conformation of the β1-adrenergic receptor (β1AR) harbours completely empty cavities of ~100 Å3 volume, which disappear in the active conformation of the receptor. Here we have localized these cavities using X-ray crystallography of xenon-derivatized β1AR crystals. One of the cavities is in direct contact with the cholesterol-binding pocket. Solution NMR shows that addition of the cholesterol analogue cholesteryl hemisuccinate impedes the formation of the active conformation of detergent-solubilized β1AR by blocking conserved G protein-coupled receptor microswitches, concomitant with an affinity reduction of both isoprenaline and G protein-mimicking nanobody Nb80 for β1AR detected by isothermal titration calorimetry. This wedge-like action explains the function of cholesterol as a negative allosteric modulator of β1AR. A detailed understanding of G protein-coupled receptor regulation by cholesterol by filling of a dry void and the easy scouting for such voids by xenon may provide new routes for the development of allosteric drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sylvain Engilberge
- Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland.,European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
| | - Anne Grahl
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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41
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Teng D, Zhou Y, Tang Y, Liu G, Tu Y. Mechanistic Studies on the Stereoselectivity of FFAR1 Modulators. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:3664-3675. [PMID: 35877470 PMCID: PMC9364411 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1) is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). It has been validated that agonists targeting FFAR1 can achieve the initial therapeutic endpoints of T2D, and the epimer agonists (R,S) AM-8596 can activate FFAR1 differently, with one acting as a partial agonist and the other as a full agonist. Up to now, the origin of the stereoselectivity of FFAR1 agonists remains elusive. In this work, we used molecular simulation methods to elucidate the mechanism of the stereoselectivity of the FFAR1 agonists (R)-AM-8596 and (S)-AM-8596. We found that the full agonist (R)-AM-8596 disrupts the residue interaction network around the receptor binding pocket and promotes the opening of the binding site for the G-protein, thereby resulting in the full activation of FFAR1. In contrast, the partial agonist (S)-AM-8596 forms stable electrostatic interactions with FFAR1, which stabilizes the residue network and hinders the conformational transition of the receptor. Our work thus clarifies the selectivity and underlying molecular activation mechanism of FFAR1 agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Teng
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.,Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (CBH), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden
| | - Yang Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yun Tang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Guixia Liu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Optogenetic Techniques for Cell Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yaoquan Tu
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (CBH), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm SE-106 91, Sweden
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The pocketome of G-protein-coupled receptors reveals previously untargeted allosteric sites. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2567. [PMID: 35538063 PMCID: PMC9091257 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29609-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
G-protein-coupled receptors do not only feature the orthosteric pockets, where most endogenous agonists bind, but also a multitude of other allosteric pockets that have come into the focus as potential binding sites for synthetic modulators. Here, to better characterise such pockets, we investigate 557 GPCR structures by exhaustively docking small molecular probes in silico and converting the ensemble of binding locations to pocket-defining volumes. Our analysis confirms all previously identified pockets and reveals nine previously untargeted sites. In order to test for the feasibility of functional modulation of receptors through binding of a ligand to such sites, we mutate residues in two sites, in two model receptors, the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3 and β2-adrenergic receptor. Moreover, we analyse the correlation of inter-residue contacts with the activation states of receptors and show that contact patterns closely correlating with activation indeed coincide with these sites.
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43
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Abstract
SignificanceThe allosteric modulators, which bind to nonorthosteric sites to enhance the signaling activities of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), are new candidates for GPCR-targeting drugs. Our solution NMR analyses of the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) revealed that the MOR activity was determined by a conformational equilibrium between three conformations. Interestingly, an allosteric modulator shifted the equilibrium toward a conformation with the highest activity to a level that cannot be reached by orthosteric ligands alone, leading to the increased activity of MOR. Our NMR analyses also identified the binding site of the allosteric modulator, including the residues contributing to the regulation of the equilibrium. These findings provide insights into the rational developments of novel allosteric modulators.
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44
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Do HN, Wang J, Bhattarai A, Miao Y. GLOW: A Workflow Integrating Gaussian-Accelerated Molecular Dynamics and Deep Learning for Free Energy Profiling. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:1423-1436. [PMID: 35200019 PMCID: PMC9773012 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c01055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
We introduce a Gaussian-accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD), deep learning (DL), and free energy profiling workflow (GLOW) to predict molecular determinants and map free energy landscapes of biomolecules. All-atom GaMD-enhanced sampling simulations are first performed on biomolecules of interest. Structural contact maps are then calculated from GaMD simulation frames and transformed into images for building DL models using a convolutional neural network. Important structural contacts are further determined from DL models of attention maps of the structural contact gradients, which allow us to identify the system reaction coordinates. Finally, free energy profiles are calculated for the selected reaction coordinates through energetic reweighting of the GaMD simulations. We have also successfully demonstrated GLOW for the characterization of activation and allosteric modulation of a G protein-coupled receptor, using the adenosine A1 receptor (A1AR) as a model system. GLOW findings are highly consistent with previous experimental and computational studies of the A1AR, while also providing further mechanistic insights into the receptor function. In summary, GLOW provides a systematic approach to mapping free energy landscapes of biomolecules. The GLOW workflow and its user manual can be downloaded at http://miaolab.org/GLOW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung N. Do
- The Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047
| | - Jinan Wang
- The Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047
| | - Apurba Bhattarai
- The Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047
| | - Yinglong Miao
- The Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047,Corresponding author:
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Nath V, Paul RK, Kumar N, Kumar V. Identification of behenic acid as medicinal food for the diabetes mellitus: structure-based computational approach and molecular dynamics simulation studies. J Mol Model 2022; 28:73. [DOI: 10.1007/s00894-022-05060-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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46
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Do HN, Haldane A, Levy RM, Miao Y. Unique features of different classes of G-protein-coupled receptors revealed from sequence coevolutionary and structural analysis. Proteins 2022; 90:601-614. [PMID: 34599827 PMCID: PMC8738117 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of human membrane proteins and represent the primary targets of about one third of currently marketed drugs. Despite the critical importance, experimental structures have been determined for only a limited portion of GPCRs and functional mechanisms of GPCRs remain poorly understood. Here, we have constructed novel sequence coevolutionary models of the A and B classes of GPCRs and compared them with residue contact frequency maps generated with available experimental structures. Significant portions of structural residue contacts were successfully detected in the sequence-based covariational models. "Exception" residue contacts predicted from sequence coevolutionary models but not available structures added missing links that were important for GPCR activation and allosteric modulation. Moreover, we identified distinct residue contacts involving different sets of functional motifs for GPCR activation, such as the Na+ pocket, CWxP, DRY, PIF, and NPxxY motifs in the class A and the HETx and PxxG motifs in the class B. Finally, we systematically uncovered critical residue contacts tuned by allosteric modulation in the two classes of GPCRs, including those from the activation motifs and particularly the extracellular and intracellular loops in class A GPCRs. These findings provide a promising framework for rational design of ligands to regulate GPCR activation and allosteric modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung N Do
- The Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047
| | - Allan Haldane
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, Institute for Computational Molecular Science, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122,Corresponding authors: and
| | - Ronald M Levy
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, Institute for Computational Molecular Science, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
| | - Yinglong Miao
- The Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047,Corresponding authors: and
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Zimmermann A, Vu O, Brüser A, Sliwoski G, Marnett LJ, Meiler J, Schöneberg T. Mapping the binding sites of UDP and prostaglandin E2 glyceryl ester in the nucleotide receptor P2Y6. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202100683. [PMID: 35034430 PMCID: PMC9305961 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202100683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Cyclooxygenase‐2 catalyzes the biosynthesis of prostaglandins from arachidonic acid and the biosynthesis of prostaglandin glycerol esters (PG‐Gs) from 2‐arachidonoylglycerol. PG‐Gs are mediators of several biological actions such as macrophage activation, hyperalgesia, synaptic plasticity, and intraocular pressure. Recently, the human UDP receptor P2Y6 was identified as a target for the prostaglandin E2 glycerol ester (PGE2‐G). Here, we show that UDP and PGE2‐G are evolutionary conserved endogenous agonists at vertebrate P2Y6 orthologs. Using sequence comparison of P2Y6 orthologs, homology modeling, and ligand docking studies, we proposed several receptor positions participating in agonist binding. Site‐directed mutagenesis and functional analysis of these P2Y6 mutants revealed that both UDP and PGE2‐G share in parts one ligand‐binding site. Thus, the convergent signaling of these two chemically very different agonists has already been manifested in the evolutionary design of the ligand‐binding pocket.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Zimmermann
- Leipzig University: Universitat Leipzig Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry GERMANY
| | - Oanh Vu
- Vanderbilt University Department of Chemistry UNITED STATES
| | - Antje Brüser
- Leipzig University: Universitat Leipzig Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry GERMANY
| | - Gregory Sliwoski
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Department of Biomedical Informatics UNITED STATES
| | - Lawrence J. Marnett
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Department of Biochemistry UNITED STATES
| | - Jens Meiler
- Leipzig University: Universitat Leipzig Institute of Drug discovery GERMANY
| | - Torsten Schöneberg
- Leipzig University: Universitat Leipzig Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry Johannisallee 30 04103 Leipzig GERMANY
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Yuan J, Jiang C, Wang J, Chen CJ, Hao Y, Zhao G, Feng Z, Xie XQ. In Silico Prediction and Validation of CB2 Allosteric Binding Sites to Aid the Design of Allosteric Modulators. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27020453. [PMID: 35056767 PMCID: PMC8781014 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27020453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 01/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the 3D structures of active and inactive cannabinoid receptors type 2 (CB2) are available, neither the X-ray crystal nor the cryo-EM structure of CB2-orthosteric ligand-modulator has been resolved, prohibiting the drug discovery and development of CB2 allosteric modulators (AMs). In the present work, we mainly focused on investigating the potential allosteric binding site(s) of CB2. We applied different algorithms or tools to predict the potential allosteric binding sites of CB2 with the existing agonists. Seven potential allosteric sites can be observed for either CB2-CP55940 or CB2-WIN 55,212-2 complex, among which sites B, C, G and K are supported by the reported 3D structures of Class A GPCRs coupled with AMs. Applying our novel algorithm toolset-MCCS, we docked three known AMs of CB2 including Ec2la (C-2), trans-β-caryophyllene (TBC) and cannabidiol (CBD) to each site for further comparisons and quantified the potential binding residues in each allosteric binding site. Sequentially, we selected the most promising binding pose of C-2 in five allosteric sites to conduct the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Based on the results of docking studies and MD simulations, we suggest that site H is the most promising allosteric binding site. We plan to conduct bio-assay validations in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Yuan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (J.Y.); (C.J.); (J.W.); (C.-J.C.); (Y.H.); (G.Z.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Chen Jiang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (J.Y.); (C.J.); (J.W.); (C.-J.C.); (Y.H.); (G.Z.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (J.Y.); (C.J.); (J.W.); (C.-J.C.); (Y.H.); (G.Z.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Chih-Jung Chen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (J.Y.); (C.J.); (J.W.); (C.-J.C.); (Y.H.); (G.Z.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Yixuan Hao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (J.Y.); (C.J.); (J.W.); (C.-J.C.); (Y.H.); (G.Z.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Guangyi Zhao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (J.Y.); (C.J.); (J.W.); (C.-J.C.); (Y.H.); (G.Z.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Zhiwei Feng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (J.Y.); (C.J.); (J.W.); (C.-J.C.); (Y.H.); (G.Z.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Correspondence: (Z.F.); (X.-Q.X.)
| | - Xiang-Qun Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (J.Y.); (C.J.); (J.W.); (C.-J.C.); (Y.H.); (G.Z.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Correspondence: (Z.F.); (X.-Q.X.)
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Chen L, Yan G, Ohwada T. Building on endogenous lipid mediators to design synthetic receptor ligands. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 231:114154. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Rady B, Liu J, Huang H, Bakaj I, Qi J, Lee SP, Martin T, Norquay L, Player M, Pocai A. A FFAR1 full agonist restores islet function in models of impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and diabetic non-human primates. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:1061688. [PMID: 36482991 PMCID: PMC9723222 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1061688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1/GPR40) mediates fatty acid-induced insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. At least 3 distinct binding sites exist on the FFAR1 receptor and numerous synthetic ligands have been investigated for their anti-diabetic actions. Fasiglifam, binds to site-1 and stimulates intra-cellular calcium release and improves glycemic control in diabetic patients. Recently, small molecule FFAR1 agonists were discovered which bind to site-3, stimulating both intra-cellular calcium and cAMP, resulting in insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion. The ability of our site-3 FFAR1 agonist (compound A) to control blood glucose was evaluated in spontaneously diabetic cynomolgus monkeys during an oral glucose tolerance test. In type-2 diabetic (T2D) animals, significant reductions in blood glucose and insulin were noted. To better understand the mechanism of these in vivo findings, we evaluated the effect of compound A in islets under several conditions of dysfunction. First, healthy human and non-human primate islets were treated with compound A and showed potentiation of insulin and glucagon secretion from both species. Next, we determined glucose-responsive insulin secretion under gluco-lipotoxic conditions and from islets isolated from type-2 diabetic humans. Despite a dysfunctional phenotype that failed to secrete insulin in response to glucose, site-3 FFAR1 agonism not only enhanced insulin secretion, but restored glucose responsiveness across a range of glucose concentrations. Lastly, we treated ex vivo human islets chronically with a sulfonylurea to induce secondary beta-cell failure. Again, this model showed reduced glucose-responsive insulin secretion that was restored and potentiated by site-3 FFAR1 agonism. Together these data suggest a mechanism for FFAR1 where agonists have direct effects on islet hormone secretion that can overcome a dysfunctional T2D phenotype. These unique characteristics of FFAR1 site-3 agonists make them an appealing potential therapy to treat type-2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Rady
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Brian Rady,
| | - Jianying Liu
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Hui Huang
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
- Discovery Chemistry, Janssen R&D, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Ivona Bakaj
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Jenson Qi
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - S. P. Lee
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Tonya Martin
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
- Medical Affairs, Janssen R&D, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Lisa Norquay
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
- Business Development, Janssen R&D, Raritan, NJ, United States
| | - Mark Player
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
- Discovery Chemistry, Janssen R&D, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Alessandro Pocai
- Cardiovascular and Metabolism Discovery, Janssen Research and Development, Spring House, PA, United States
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