Identification of allosteric peptide agonists of CXCR4

Identifying and Assessing Putative Allosteric Sites and Modulators for CXCR4 Predicted through Network Modeling and Site Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation

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.

Plant MDL proteins synergize with the cytokine MIF at CXCR2 and CXCR4 receptors in human cells

Mammalian macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and its paralog, D-dopachrome tautomerase, are multifunctional inflammatory cytokines. Plants have orthologous MIF and D-dopachrome tautomerase-like (MDL) proteins that mimic some of the effects of MIF on immune cells in vitro. We explored the structural and functional similarities between the three Arabidopsis thaliana MDLs and MIF. X-ray crystallography of the MDLs revealed high structural similarity between MDL and MIF homotrimers and suggested a potential explanation for the lack of tautomerase activity in the MDLs. MDL1 and MDL2 interacted with each other and with MIF in vitro, in yeast, and in plant leaves and formed hetero-oligomeric complexes with MIF in vitro. The MDLs stimulated signaling through the MIF receptors CXCR2 or CXCR4 and enhanced the responses to MIF in a yeast reporter system, in human neutrophils, and in human lung epithelial cells. Pharmacological inhibitors that disrupted MIF activity or prevented the formation of MIF-MDL hetero-oligomers blocked the observed synergism. These findings demonstrate that MDLs can enhance cellular responses to MIF, which may have functional implications in tissues exposed to MDLs from the diet or environment.

Development of tolerance to chemokine receptor antagonists: current paradigms and the need for further investigation

Chemokine G-protein coupled receptors are validated drug targets for many diseases, including cancer, neurological, and inflammatory disorders. Despite much time and effort spent on therapeutic development, very few chemokine receptor antagonists are approved for clinical use. Among potential reasons for the slow progress in developing chemokine receptor inhibitors, antagonist tolerance, a progressive reduction in drug efficacy after repeated administration, is likely to play a key role. The mechanisms leading to antagonist tolerance remain poorly understood. In many cases, antagonist tolerance is accompanied by increased receptor concentration on the cell surface after prolonged exposure to chemokine receptor antagonists. This points to a possible role of altered receptor internalization and presentation on the cell surface, as has been shown for agonist (primarily opioid) tolerance. In addition, examples of antagonist tolerance in the context of other G-protein coupled receptors suggest the involvement of noncanonical signal transduction in opposing the effects of the antagonists. In this review, we summarize the available progress and challenges in therapeutic development of chemokine receptor antagonists, describe the available knowledge about antagonist tolerance, and propose new avenues for future investigation of this important phenomenon. Furthermore, we highlight the modern methodologies that have the potential to reveal novel mechanisms leading to antagonist tolerance and to propel the field forward by advancing the development of potent "tolerance-free" antagonists of chemokine receptors.

Structural dynamics of chemokine receptors

Membrane proteins such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are involved in awide range of physiological and pathological cellular processes. Binding of extracellular signals to GPCRs, including hormones, neurotransmitters, peptides and proteins, can activate intracellular signaling cascades via G protein interaction. Chemokine receptors are key GPCRs implicated in cancers, immune responses, cell migration and inflammation. Specifically, the CCR5 and CXCR4 chemokine receptors serve as important therapeutic targets against Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) entry into human cells. Maraviroc and Vicriviroc, two clinically used HIV entry inhibitors, are antagonists of the CCR5 receptor. These drugs block HIV entry, but ultimately resistance develops, due to emergence of viruses that can utilize the CXCR4 co-receptor. Unfortunately, development of chemokine receptor antagonists as selective drugs of HIV infection has been greatly hindered as their target orthosteric site is conserved among different receptor subtypes. Accordingly, it is important to understand the structural dynamics of these receptors to develop more effective therapeutics. In this chapter, we describe the latest advances in studies of these two key chemokine receptors with respect to their structures, dynamics and function.

Allosteric Regulation of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors: From Diversity of Molecular Mechanisms to Multiple Allosteric Sites and Their Ligands

Allosteric regulation is critical for the functioning of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their signaling pathways. Endogenous allosteric regulators of GPCRs are simple ions, various biomolecules, and protein components of GPCR signaling (G proteins and β-arrestins). The stability and functional activity of GPCR complexes is also due to multicenter allosteric interactions between protomers. The complexity of allosteric effects caused by numerous regulators differing in structure, availability, and mechanisms of action predetermines the multiplicity and different topology of allosteric sites in GPCRs. These sites can be localized in extracellular loops; inside the transmembrane tunnel and in its upper and lower vestibules; in cytoplasmic loops; and on the outer, membrane-contacting surface of the transmembrane domain. They are involved in the regulation of basal and orthosteric agonist-stimulated receptor activity, biased agonism, GPCR-complex formation, and endocytosis. They are targets for a large number of synthetic allosteric regulators and modulators, including those constructed using molecular docking. The review is devoted to the principles and mechanisms of GPCRs allosteric regulation, the multiplicity of allosteric sites and their topology, and the endogenous and synthetic allosteric regulators, including autoantibodies and pepducins. The allosteric regulation of chemokine receptors, proteinase-activated receptors, thyroid-stimulating and luteinizing hormone receptors, and beta-adrenergic receptors are described in more detail.

Mechanism of Peptide Agonist Binding in CXCR4 Chemokine Receptor

Chemokine receptors are key G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that control cell migration in immune system responses, development of cardiovascular and central nervous systems, and numerous diseases. In particular, the CXCR4 chemokine receptor promotes metastasis, tumor growth and angiogenesis in cancers. CXCR4 is also used as one of the two co-receptors for T-tropic HIV-1 entry into host cells. Therefore, CXCR4 serves as an important therapeutic target for treating cancers and HIV infection. Apart from the CXCL12 endogenous peptide agonist, previous studies suggested that the first 17 amino acids of CXCL12 are sufficient to activate CXCR4. Two 17-residue peptides with positions 1-4 mutated to RSVM and ASLW functioned as super and partial agonists of CXCR4, respectively. However, the mechanism of peptide agonist binding in CXCR4 remains unclear. Here, we have investigated this mechanism through all-atom simulations using a novel Peptide Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (Pep-GaMD) method. The Pep-GaMD simulations have allowed us to explore representative binding conformations of each peptide and identify critical low-energy states of CXCR4 activated by the super versus partial peptide agonists. Our simulations have provided important mechanistic insights into peptide agonist binding in CXCR4, which are expected to facilitate rational design of new peptide modulators of CXCR4 and other chemokine receptors.

Wandering beyond small molecules: peptides as allosteric protein modulators

Recent years have seen the rise of allosteric modulation as an innovative approach for drug design and discovery, efforts which culminated in the development of several clinical candidates. Allosteric modulation of many drug targets, including mainly membrane-embedded receptors, have been vastly explored through small molecule screening campaigns, but much less attention has been paid to peptide-based allosteric modulators. However, peptides have a significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry due to the typically higher potency and selectivity for their targets, as compared with small molecule therapeutics. Therefore, peptides represent one of the most promising classes of molecules that can modulate key biological pathways. Here, we report on the allosteric modulation of proteins (ranging from G protein-coupled receptors to specific protein-protein interactions) by peptides for applications in drug discovery.

Allosteric Modulator Leads Hiding in Plain Site: Developing Peptide and Peptidomimetics as GPCR Allosteric Modulators

Allosteric modulators (AMs) of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are desirable drug targets because they can produce fewer on-target side effects, improved selectivity, and better biological specificity (e.g., biased signaling or probe dependence) than orthosteric drugs. An underappreciated source for identifying AM leads are peptides and proteins-many of which were evolutionarily selected as AMs-derived from endogenous protein-protein interactions (e.g., transducer/accessory proteins), intramolecular receptor contacts (e.g., pepducins or extracellular domains), endogenous peptides, and exogenous libraries (e.g., nanobodies or conotoxins). Peptides offer distinct advantages over small molecules, including high affinity, good tolerability, and good bioactivity, and specific disadvantages, including relatively poor metabolic stability and bioavailability. Peptidomimetics are molecules that combine the advantages of both peptides and small molecules by mimicking the peptide's chemical features responsible for bioactivity while improving its druggability. This review 1) discusses sources and strategies to identify peptide/peptidomimetic AMs, 2) overviews strategies to convert a peptide lead into more drug-like "peptidomimetic," and 3) critically analyzes the advantages, disadvantages, and future directions of peptidomimetic AMs. While small molecules will and should play a vital role in AM drug discovery, peptidomimetics can complement and even exceed the advantages of small molecules, depending on the target, site, lead, and associated factors.

Co-receptor signaling in the pathogenesis of neuroHIV

The HIV co-receptors, CCR5 and CXCR4, are necessary for HIV entry into target cells, interacting with the HIV envelope protein, gp120, to initiate several signaling cascades thought to be important to the entry process. Co-receptor signaling may also promote the development of neuroHIV by contributing to both persistent neuroinflammation and indirect neurotoxicity. But despite the critical importance of CXCR4 and CCR5 signaling to HIV pathogenesis, there is only one therapeutic (the CCR5 inhibitor Maraviroc) that targets these receptors. Moreover, our understanding of co-receptor signaling in the specific context of neuroHIV is relatively poor. Research into co-receptor signaling has largely stalled in the past decade, possibly owing to the complexity of the signaling cascades and functions mediated by these receptors. Examining the many signaling pathways triggered by co-receptor activation has been challenging due to the lack of specific molecular tools targeting many of the proteins involved in these pathways and the wide array of model systems used across these experiments. Studies examining the impact of co-receptor signaling on HIV neuropathogenesis often show activation of multiple overlapping pathways by similar stimuli, leading to contradictory data on the effects of co-receptor activation. To address this, we will broadly review HIV infection and neuropathogenesis, examine different co-receptor mediated signaling pathways and functions, then discuss the HIV mediated signaling and the differences between activation induced by HIV and cognate ligands. We will assess the specific effects of co-receptor activation on neuropathogenesis, focusing on neuroinflammation. We will also explore how the use of substances of abuse, which are highly prevalent in people living with HIV, can exacerbate the neuropathogenic effects of co-receptor signaling. Finally, we will discuss the current state of therapeutics targeting co-receptors, highlighting challenges the field has faced and areas in which research into co-receptor signaling would yield the most therapeutic benefit in the context of HIV infection. This discussion will provide a comprehensive overview of what is known and what remains to be explored in regard to co-receptor signaling and HIV infection, and will emphasize the potential value of HIV co-receptors as a target for future therapeutic development.

Engineering G protein-coupled receptor signalling in yeast for biotechnological and medical purposes

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise the largest class of membrane proteins in the human genome, with a common denominator of seven-transmembrane domains largely conserved among eukaryotes. Yeast is naturally armoured with three different GPCRs for pheromone and sugar sensing, with the pheromone pathway being extensively hijacked for characterising heterologous GPCR signalling in a model eukaryote. This review focusses on functional GPCR studies performed in yeast and on the elucidated hotspots for engineering, and discusses both endogenous and heterologous GPCR signalling. Key emphasis will be devoted to studies describing important engineering parameters to consider for successful coupling of GPCRs to the yeast mating pathway. We also review the various means of applying yeast for studying GPCRs, including the use of yeast armed with heterologous GPCRs as a platform for (i) deorphanisation of orphan receptors, (ii) metabolic engineering of yeast for production of bioactive products and (iii) medical applications related to pathogen detection and drug discovery. Finally, this review summarises the current challenges related to expression of functional membrane-bound GPCRs in yeast and discusses the opportunities to continue capitalising on yeast as a model chassis for functional GPCR signalling studies.

A Perspective on Synthetic Biology in Drug Discovery and Development-Current Impact and Future Opportunities

The global impact of synthetic biology has been accelerating, because of the plummeting cost of DNA synthesis, advances in genetic engineering, growing understanding of genome organization, and explosion in data science. However, much of the discipline's application in the pharmaceutical industry remains enigmatic. In this review, we highlight recent examples of the impact of synthetic biology on target validation, assay development, hit finding, lead optimization, and chemical synthesis, through to the development of cellular therapeutics. We also highlight the availability of tools and technologies driving the discipline. Synthetic biology is certainly impacting all stages of drug discovery and development, and the recognition of the discipline's contribution can further enhance the opportunities for the drug discovery and development value chain.

Comparison of Expression of Chemokine Receptor 4 in Maternal Decidua and Chorionic Villi in Women with Spontaneous Miscarriages and Women Opting for Termination of Viable Pregnancies

Background:

Early pregnancy losses can be a distressing experience both for the parents and the treating clinician. We aim to explore the role of chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in early pregnancy losses by comparing its expression among patients with spontaneous miscarriages and patients undergoing termination of viable pregnancies for unwanted pregnancies.

Aim:

The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of CXCR4 in early pregnancy losses and correlate the various clinical parameters with differential expression of the above receptor in the chorionic villi and maternal decidua.

Study and Setting:

The present study is a case-“control study done in a tertiary care center.

Methodology:

Fifty patients attending outdoor and antenatal clinic of the hospital aged 18-40 years with spontaneous miscarriage under 20 weeks of gestational age were included as cases and compared with fifty females of comparable age group (18-40 years) seeking medical termination of pregnancy as controls. Chorionic villi and decidua obtained from the cases and controls were analyzed for CXCR4 expression.

Statistical Analysis:

The results were analyzed using mean ± standard deviation, percentiles values, Chi-square test, and P value to determine the association of CXCR4 expression in decidua and chorionic villi of cases versus controls.

Results:

CXCR4 expression was significantly downregulated in cases as compared to the controls with P < 0.001. The mean normalized ratio of CXCR4 expression to housekeeping gene (β Actin) expression in the case group was 1.607 ± 1.108 and in the control group, it was 2.506 ± 1.457. There was a strong correlation between the expression of CXCR4 and maternal age. With increasing age, the expression of CXCR4 was more downregulated in both the cases and control groups (P < 0.001). The expression of CXCR4 was elevated in controls as compared to cases in <30 years age group (P = 0.009). CXCR4 expression was higher in primigravida than in multigravida (P = 0.001), and as the number of previous miscarriages increased, the expression of CXCR4 was found to be decreased (P = 0.021).

Conclusion:

CXCR4 expression is significantly reduced in women with spontaneous miscarriages in comparison with viable pregnancies. and possibly, therapies targeted at increasing the expression of CXCR4 can be used as a treatment modality for management of spontaneous miscarriages.

Strategies and progress in CXCR4-targeted anti-HIV therapeutic development

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has been a global public health challenge for several decades. The majority of HIV infection is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) which enters and infects a host cell via the cell surface proteins of CD4 as the primary receptor, and chemokine receptors CXCR4 or CCR5 as the co-receptor-then undergoing replication using the cell's intracellular machinery. Whereas many drugs targeting CCR5-mediated entry or HIV-1 replication via reverse transcriptase or proteases have long been used clinically, agents targeting CXCR4 are yet to be advanced to clinical application. Here in this review we highlight some of the strategies for and progress made in the discovery of novel small molecules, peptides, and larger molecules that target CXCR4, and their future prospects for translation into the clinic as a new class of anti-HIV therapeutics.

G protein-coupled receptors expressed and studied in yeast. The adenosine receptor as a prime example

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest class of membrane proteins with around 800 members in the human genome/proteome. Extracellular signals such as hormones and neurotransmitters regulate various biological processes via GPCRs, with GPCRs being the bodily target of 30-40% of current drugs on the market. Complete identification and understanding of GPCR functionality will provide opportunities for novel drug discovery. Yeast expresses three different endogenous GPCRs regulating pheromone and sugar sensing, with the pheromone pathway offering perspectives for the characterization of heterologous GPCR signaling. Moreover, yeast offers a ''null" background for studies on mammalian GPCRs, including GPCR activation and signaling, ligand identification, and characterization of disease-related mutations. This review focuses on modifications of the yeast pheromone signaling pathway for functional GPCR studies, and on opportunities and usage of the yeast system as a platform for human GPCR studies. Finally, this review discusses in some further detail studies of adenosine receptors heterologously expressed in yeast, and what Geoff Burnstock thought of this approach.

Biased agonism at chemokine receptors

In the human chemokine system, interactions between the approximately 50 known endogenous chemokine ligands and 20 known chemokine receptors (CKRs) regulate a wide range of cellular functions and biological processes including immune cell activation and homeostasis, development, angiogenesis, and neuromodulation. CKRs are a family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), which represent the most common and versatile class of receptors in the human genome and the targets of approximately one third of all Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs. Chemokines and CKRs bind with significant promiscuity, as most CKRs can be activated by multiple chemokines and most chemokines can activate multiple CKRs. While these ligand-receptor interactions were previously regarded as redundant, it is now appreciated that many chemokine:CKR interactions display biased agonism, the phenomenon in which different ligands binding to the same receptor signal through different pathways with different efficacies, leading to distinct biological effects. Notably, these biased responses can be modulated through changes in ligand, receptor, and or the specific cellular context (system). In this review, we explore the biochemical mechanisms, functional consequences, and therapeutic potential of biased agonism in the chemokine system. An enhanced understanding of biased agonism in the chemokine system may prove transformative in the understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of biased signaling across all GPCR subtypes and aid in the development of biased pharmaceuticals with increased therapeutic efficacy and safer side effect profiles.

High-Throughput Screening of a Functional Human CXCL12-CXCR4 Signaling Axis in a Genetically Modified S. cerevisiae: Discovery of a Novel Up-Regulator of CXCR4 Activity

CXCL12 activates CXCR4 and is involved in embryogenesis, hematopoiesis, and angiogenesis. It has pathological roles in HIV-1, WHIM disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. An antagonist, AMD3100, is used for the release of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow for autologous transplantation for lymphoma or multiple myeloma patients. Adverse effects are tolerated due to its short-term treatment, but AMD3100 is cardiotoxic in clinical studies for HIV-1. In an effort to determine whether Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing a functional human CXCR4 could be used as a platform for identifying a ligand from a library of less ∼1,000 compounds, a high-throughput screening was developed. We report that 2-carboxyphenyl phosphate (fosfosal) up-regulates CXCR4 activation only in the presence of CXCL12. This is the first identification of a compound that increases CXCR4 activity by any mechanism. We mapped the fosfosal binding site on CXCL12, described its mechanism of action, and studied its chemical components, salicylate and phosphate, to conclude that they synergize to achieve the functional effect.

Pathway and mechanism of drug binding to chemokine receptors revealed by accelerated molecular simulations

Background: Chemokine GPCRs play key roles in biology and medicine. Particularly, CXCR4 promotes cancer metastasis and facilitate HIV entry into host cells. Plerixafor (PLX) is a CXCR4 drug, but the pathway and binding site of PLX in CXCR4 remain unknown. Results & methodology: We have performed molecular docking and all-atom simulations using Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD), which are consistent with previous mutation experiments, suggesting that PLX binds to the orthosteric site of CXCR4 as an antagonist. The GaMD simulations further revealed an intermediate allosteric binding site at the extracellular mouth of CXCR4. Conclusion: The newly identified allosteric site can be targeted for novel drug design targeting CXCR4 and other chemokine receptors.

Discoveries and developments of CXCR4-targeted HIV-1 entry inhibitors

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is required for the entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) into target cells and its expression correlates with more profound pathogenicity, rapid progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and greater AIDS-related mortality. There is still no cure for AIDS and no method for preventing or eradicating HIV-1 infection. HIV-1 entry begins with the interaction of the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120 and the primary receptor CD4, and subsequently with the coreceptors, CCR5 or CXCR4, on the host cells. Blocking the interaction of HIV-1 and its coreceptors is therefore a promising strategy for developing new HIV-1 entry inhibitors. This approach has a dual benefit, as it prevents HIV-1 infection and progression while also targeting the reservoirs of HIV-1 infected, coreceptor positive macrophages and memory T cells. To date, multiple classes of CXCR4-targeted anti-HIV-1 inhibitors have been discovered and are now at different preclinical and clinical stages. In this review, we highlight the studies of CXCR4-targeted small-molecule and peptide HIV-1 entry inhibitors discovered during the last two decades and provide a reference for further potential HIV-1 exploration in the future.

Impact statement

This minireview summarized the current progress in the identification of CXCR4-targeted HIV-1-entry inhibitors based on discovery/developmental approaches. It also provided a discussion of the inhibitor structural features, antiviral activities, and pharmacological properties. Unlike other reviews on anti-HIV-1 drug development, which have generally emphasized inhibitors that target intracellular viral replication and host genomic integration, this review focused on the drug discovery approaches taken to develop viral-entry inhibitors aimed at disturbing the initial step of viral interaction with uninfected host cells and preventing the subsequent viral replication/genomic integration. This review amalgamated recently published and important work on bivalent CXCR4-targeted anti-HIV-1-entry candidates/conjugates, discussed the research challenges faced in developing drugs to prevent and eradicate HIV-1 infection, and provided a perspective on strategies that can lead to future drug discoveries. The findings and strategies summarized in this review will be of interest to investigators throughout the microbiological, pharmaceutical, and translational research communities.

Cross-kingdom mimicry of the receptor signaling and leukocyte recruitment activity of a human cytokine by its plant orthologs

Human macrophage migration-inhibitory factor (MIF) is an evolutionarily-conserved protein that has both extracellular immune-modulating and intracellular cell-regulatory functions. MIF plays a role in various diseases, including inflammatory diseases, atherosclerosis, autoimmunity, and cancer. It serves as an inflammatory cytokine and chemokine, but also exhibits enzymatic activity. Secreted MIF binds to cell-surface immune receptors such as CD74 and CXCR4. Plants possess MIF orthologs but lack the associated receptors, suggesting functional diversification across kingdoms. Here, we characterized three MIF orthologs (termed MIF/d-dopachrome tautomerase-like proteins or MDLs) of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana Recombinant Arabidopsis MDLs (AtMDLs) share similar secondary structure characteristics with human MIF, yet only have minimal residual tautomerase activity using either p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate or dopachrome methyl ester as substrate. Site-specific mutagenesis suggests that this is due to a distinct amino acid difference at the catalytic cavity-defining residue Asn-98. Surprisingly, AtMDLs bind to the human MIF receptors CD74 and CXCR4. Moreover, they activate CXCR4-dependent signaling in a receptor-specific yeast reporter system and in CXCR4-expressing human HEK293 transfectants. Notably, plant MDLs exert dose-dependent chemotactic activity toward human monocytes and T cells. A small molecule MIF inhibitor and an allosteric CXCR4 inhibitor counteract this function, revealing its specificity. Our results indicate cross-kingdom conservation of the receptor signaling and leukocyte recruitment capacities of human MIF by its plant orthologs. This may point toward a previously unrecognized interplay between plant proteins and the human innate immune system.

Synthetic Activators of Cell Migration Designed by Constructive Machine Learning

Constructive machine learning aims to create examples from its learned domain which are likely to exhibit similar properties. Here, a recurrent neural network was trained with the chemical structures of known cell-migration modulators. This machine learning model was used to generate new molecules that mimic the training compounds. Two top-scoring designs were synthesized, and tested for functional activity in a phenotypic spheroid cell migration assay. These computationally generated small molecules significantly increased the migration of medulloblastoma cells. The results further corroborate the applicability of constructive machine learning to the de novo design of druglike molecules with desired properties.

Characterization, Dynamics, and Mechanism of CXCR4 Antagonists on a Constitutively Active Mutant

The G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) CXCR4 is a co-receptor for HIV and is involved in cancers and autoimmune diseases. We characterized five purine or quinazoline core polyamine pharmacophores used for targeting CXCR4 dysregulation in diseases. All were neutral antagonists for wild-type CXCR4 and two were biased antagonists with effects on β-arrestin-2 only at high concentrations. These compounds displayed various activities for a constitutively active mutant (CAM). We use the IT1t-CXCR4 crystal structure and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to develop two hypotheses for the activation of the N1193.35A CAM. The N1193.35A mutation facilitates increased coupling of TM helices III and VI. IT1t deactivates the CAM by disrupting the coupling between TM helices III and VI, mediated primarily by residue F872.53. Mutants of F872.53 in N1193.35A CXCR4 precluded constitutive signaling and prevented inverse agonism. This work characterizes CXCR4 ligands and provides a mechanism for N1193.35A constitutive activation.

Design and evaluation of a CXCR4 targeting peptide 4DV3 as an HIV entry inhibitor and a ligand for targeted drug delivery

The feasibility of utilizing the cell surface chemokine receptor CXCR4 for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) entry inhibition and as an intracellular portal for targeted drug delivery was evaluated. Novel DV3 ligands (1DV3, 2DV3, and 4DV3) were designed, synthesized and conjugated to various probes (fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or biotin) and cargos with sizes ranging from 10 to 50 nm (polyethylene glycol (PEG), streptavidin, and a polymeric nanoparticle). 4DV3 conjugated probes inhibited HIV-1 entry into the CXCR4-expressing reporter cell line TZM-bl (IC₅₀ at 553 nM) whereas 1DV3 and 2DV3 did not. 4DV3 also inhibited binding of anti-CXCR4 antibody 44,708 to TZM-bl cells with nanomolar potency, while the small-molecule CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 did not. Molecular modeling suggested simultaneous binding of a single 4DV3 molecule to four CXCR4 molecules. Differences in CXCR4-binding sites could explain the discrete inhibitory effects observed for 4DV3, the 44,708 antibody and AMD3100. In the Sup-T1 cell chemotaxis assay, the 4DV3 ligand functioned as a CXCR4 allosteric enhancer. In addition, 4DV3 ligand-conjugated cargos with sizes ranging from 10 to 50 nm were taken up into CXCR4-expressing Sup-T1 and TZM-bl cells, demonstrating that CXCR4 could serve as a drug delivery portal for nanocarriers. The uptake of 4DV3 functionalized nanocarriers combined with the allosteric interaction with CXCR4 suggests enhanced endocytosis occurs when 4DV3 is the targeting ligand. The current results indicate that 4DV3 might serve as a prototype for a new type of dual function ligand, one that acts as a HIV-1 entry inhibitor and a CXCR4 drug delivery targeting ligand.

Identification of an Arg-Leu-Arg tripeptide that contributes to the binding interface between the cytokine MIF and the chemokine receptor CXCR4

MIF is a chemokine-like cytokine that plays a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and cardiovascular disorders. It binds to the chemokine-receptors CXCR2/CXCR4 to trigger atherogenic leukocyte migration albeit lacking canonical chemokine structures. We recently characterized an N-like-loop and the Pro-2-residue of MIF as critical molecular determinants of the CXCR4/MIF binding-site and identified allosteric agonism as a mechanism that distinguishes CXCR4-binding to MIF from that to the cognate ligand CXCL12. By using peptide spot-array technology, site-directed mutagenesis, structure-activity-relationships, and molecular docking, we identified the Arg-Leu-Arg (RLR) sequence-region 87–89 that – in three-dimensional space – ‘extends’ the N-like-loop to control site-1-binding to CXCR4. Contrary to wildtype MIF, mutant R87A-L88A-R89A-MIF fails to bind to the N-terminal of CXCR4 and the contribution of RLR to the MIF/CXCR4-interaction is underpinned by an ablation of MIF/CXCR4-specific signaling and reduction in CXCR4-dependent chemotactic leukocyte migration of the RLR-mutant of MIF. Alanine-scanning, functional competition by RLR-containing peptides, and molecular docking indicate that the RLR residues directly participate in contacts between MIF and CXCR4 and highlight the importance of charge-interactions at this interface. Identification of the RLR region adds important structural information to the MIF/CXCR4 binding-site that distinguishes this interface from CXCR4/CXCL12 and will help to design MIF-specific drug-targeting approaches.

Development of Mimokines, chemokine N terminus-based CXCR4 inhibitors optimized by phage display and rational design

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 also known as fusin or CD184 (cluster of differentiation 184)) is implicated in various biological and pathological processes of the hematopoietic and immune systems. CXCR4 is also one of the major coreceptors for HIV-1 entry into target cells and is overexpressed in many cancers, supporting cell survival, proliferation, and migration. CXCR4 is thus an extremely relevant drug target. Among the different strategies to block CXCR4, chemokine-derived peptide inhibitors hold great therapeutic potential. In this study, we used the N-terminus of vCCL2/vMIPII, a viral CXCR4 antagonist chemokine, as a scaffold motif to engineer and select CXCR4 peptide inhibitors, called Mimokines, which imitate the chemokine-binding mode but display an enhanced receptor affinity, antiviral properties, and receptor selectivity. We first engineered a Mimokine phage displayed library based on the first 21 residues of vCCL2, in which cysteine 11 and 12 were fully randomized and screened it against purified CXCR4 stabilized in liposomes. We identified Mimokines displaying up to 4-fold higher affinity for CXCR4 when compared to the reference peptide and fully protected MT-4 cells against HIV-1 infection. These selected Mimokines were then subjected to dimerization, D-amino acid, and aza-β3-amino acid substitution to further enhance their potency and selectivity. Optimized Mimokines exhibited up to 120-fold enhanced CXCR4 binding (range of 20 nM) and more than 200-fold improved antiviral properties (≤ 1 μM) compared to the parental Mimokines. Interestingly, these optimized Mimokines also showed up to 25-fold weaker affinity for ACKR3/CXCR7 and may therefore serve as lead compounds for further development of more selective CXCR4 peptide inhibitors and probes.

The Diverse Roles of Arrestin Scaffolds in G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling

The visual/β-arrestins, a small family of proteins originally described for their role in the desensitization and intracellular trafficking of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), have emerged as key regulators of multiple signaling pathways. Evolutionarily related to a larger group of regulatory scaffolds that share a common arrestin fold, the visual/β-arrestins acquired the capacity to detect and bind activated GPCRs on the plasma membrane, which enables them to control GPCR desensitization, internalization, and intracellular trafficking. By acting as scaffolds that bind key pathway intermediates, visual/β-arrestins both influence the tonic level of pathway activity in cells and, in some cases, serve as ligand-regulated scaffolds for GPCR-mediated signaling. Growing evidence supports the physiologic and pathophysiologic roles of arrestins and underscores their potential as therapeutic targets. Circumventing arrestin-dependent GPCR desensitization may alleviate the problem of tachyphylaxis to drugs that target GPCRs, and find application in the management of chronic pain, asthma, and psychiatric illness. As signaling scaffolds, arrestins are also central regulators of pathways controlling cell growth, migration, and survival, suggesting that manipulating their scaffolding functions may be beneficial in inflammatory diseases, fibrosis, and cancer. In this review we examine the structure-function relationships that enable arrestins to perform their diverse roles, addressing arrestin structure at the molecular level, the relationship between arrestin conformation and function, and sites of interaction between arrestins, GPCRs, and nonreceptor-binding partners. We conclude with a discussion of arrestins as therapeutic targets and the settings in which manipulating arrestin function might be of clinical benefit.

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor-CXCR4 Receptor Interactions: EVIDENCE FOR PARTIAL ALLOSTERIC AGONISM IN COMPARISON WITH CXCL12 CHEMOKINE

An emerging number of non-chemokine mediators are found to bind to classical chemokine receptors and to elicit critical biological responses. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory cytokine that exhibits chemokine-like activities through non-cognate interactions with the chemokine receptors CXCR2 and CXCR4, in addition to activating the type II receptor CD74. Activation of the MIF-CXCR2 and -CXCR4 axes promotes leukocyte recruitment, mediating the exacerbating role of MIF in atherosclerosis and contributing to the wealth of other MIF biological activities. Although the structural basis of the MIF-CXCR2 interaction has been well studied and was found to engage a pseudo-ELR and an N-like loop motif, nothing is known about the regions of CXCR4 and MIF that are involved in binding to each other. Using a genetic strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that expresses a functional CXCR4 receptor, site-specific mutagenesis, hybrid CXCR3/CXCR4 receptors, pharmacological reagents, peptide array analysis, chemotaxis, fluorescence spectroscopy, and circular dichroism, we provide novel molecular information about the structural elements that govern the interaction between MIF and CXCR4. The data identify similarities with classical chemokine-receptor interactions but also provide evidence for a partial allosteric agonist compared with CXCL12 that is possible due to the two binding sites of CXCR4.

Allosteric Modulation of Chemoattractant Receptors

Chemoattractants control selective leukocyte homing via interactions with a dedicated family of related G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Emerging evidence indicates that the signaling activity of these receptors, as for other GPCR, is influenced by allosteric modulators, which interact with the receptor in a binding site distinct from the binding site of the agonist and modulate the receptor signaling activity in response to the orthosteric ligand. Allosteric modulators have a number of potential advantages over orthosteric agonists/antagonists as therapeutic agents and offer unprecedented opportunities to identify extremely selective drug leads. Here, we resume evidence of allosterism in the context of chemoattractant receptors, discussing in particular its functional impact on functional selectivity and probe/concentration dependence of orthosteric ligands activities.

Targeting chemokine receptor CXCR4 for treatment of HIV-1 infection, tumor progression, and metastasis

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is required for the entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) into target cells and for the development and dissemination of various types of cancers, including gastrointestinal, cutaneous, head and neck, pulmonary, gynecological, genitourinary, neurological, and hematological malignancies. The T-cell (T)-tropic HIV-1 strains use CXCR4 as the entry coreceptor; consequently, multiple CXCR4 antagonistic inhibitors have been developed for the treatment of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, other potential applications of CXCR4 antagonists have become apparent since its discovery in 1996. In fact, increasing evidence demonstrates that epithelial and hematopoietic tumor cells exploit the interaction between CXCR4 and its natural ligand, stromal cellderived factor (SDF)-1α, which normally regulates leukocyte migration. The CXCR4 and/or SDF-1α expression patterns in tumor cells also determine the sites of metastatic spread. In addition, the activation of CXCR4 by SDF-1α promotes invasion and proliferation of tumor cells, enhances tumor-associated neoangiogenesis, and assists in the degradation of the extracellular matrix and basement membrane. As such, the evaluation of CXCR4 and/or SDF-1α expression levels has a significant prognostic value in various types of malignancies. Several therapeutic challenges remain to be overcome before the use of CXCR4 inhibitors can be translated into clinical practice, but promising preclinical data demonstrate that CXCR4 antagonists can mobilize tumor cells from their protective microenvironments, interfere with their metastatic and tumorigenic potentials, and/or make tumor cells more susceptible to chemotherapy.

Molecular Pharmacology of Chemokine Receptors

Chemokine receptors are involved in various pathologies such as inflammatory diseases, cancer, and HIV infection. Small molecule and antibody-based antagonists have been developed to inhibit chemokine-induced receptor activity. Currently two small molecule inhibitors targeting CXCR4 and CCR5 are on the market for stem cell mobilization and the treatment of HIV infection, respectively. Antibody fragments (e.g., nanobodies) targeting chemokine receptors are primarily orthosteric ligands, competing for the chemokine binding site. This is opposed by most small molecules, which act as allosteric modulators and bind to the receptor at a topographically distinct site as compared to chemokines. Allosteric modulators can be distinguished from orthosteric ligands by unique features, such as a saturable effect and probe dependency. For successful drug development, it is essential to determine pharmacological parameters (i.e., affinity, potency, and efficacy) and the mode of action of potential drugs during early stages of research in order to predict the biological effect of chemokine receptor targeting drugs in the clinic. This chapter explains how the pharmacological profile of chemokine receptor targeting ligands can be determined and quantified using binding and functional experiments.

Biased agonism at chemokine receptors: obstacles or opportunities for drug discovery?

Chemokine receptors are typically promiscuous, binding more than one ligand, with the ligands themselves often expressed in different spatial localizations by multiple cell types. This is normally a tightly regulated process; however, in a variety of inflammatory disorders, dysregulation results in the excessive or inappropriate expression of chemokines that drives disease progression. Biased agonism, the phenomenon whereby different ligands of the same receptor are able to preferentially activate one signaling pathway over another, adds another level of complexity to an already complex system. In this minireview, we discuss the concept of biased agonism within the chemokine family and report that targeting single signaling axes downstream of chemokine receptors is not only achievable, but may well present novel opportunities to target chemokine receptors, allowing the fine tuning of receptor responses in the context of allergic inflammation and beyond.

AZD8797 is an allosteric non-competitive modulator of the human CX3CR1 receptor

The present paper shows the non-competitive mechanism by which AZD8797 blocks fractalkine from binding and activating the CX₃CR1 receptor. CX₃CR1 is involved in many diseases but, lacking non-peptide ligands, it is poorly investigated. Our work can therefore facilitate drug development.

The chemokine receptor CX₃CR1 has been implicated as an attractive therapeutic target in several diseases, including atherosclerosis and diabetes. However, there has been a lack of non-peptide CX₃CR1 inhibitors to substantiate these findings. A selective small-molecule inhibitor of CX₃CR1, AZD8797, was recently reported and we present here an in-depth in vitro characterization of that molecule. In a flow adhesion assay, AZD8797 antagonized the natural ligand, fractalkine (CX₃CL1), in both human whole blood (hWB) and in a B-lymphocyte cell line with IC₅₀ values of 300 and 6 nM respectively. AZD8797 also prevented G-protein activation in a [³⁵S]GTPγS (guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate) accumulation assay. In contrast, dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) experiments revealed a weak G_αi-dependent AZD8797 agonism. Additionally, AZD8797 positively modulated the CX₃CL1 response at sub-micromolar concentrations in a β-arrestin recruitment assay. In equilibrium saturation binding experiments, AZD8797 reduced the maximal binding of ¹²⁵I-CX₃CL1 without affecting K_d. Kinetic experiments, determining the k_on and k_off of AZD8797, demonstrated that this was not an artefact of irreversible or insurmountable binding, thus a true non-competitive mechanism. Finally we show that both AZD8797 and GTPγS increase the rate with which CX₃CL1 dissociates from CX₃CR1 in a similar manner, indicating a connection between AZD8797 and the CX₃CR1-bound G-protein. Collectively, these data show that AZD8797 is a non-competitive allosteric modulator of CX₃CL1, binding CX₃CR1 and effecting G-protein signalling and β-arrestin recruitment in a biased way.

VU0477573: Partial Negative Allosteric Modulator of the Subtype 5 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor with In Vivo Efficacy

Negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu5) have potential applications in the treatment of fragile X syndrome, levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, addiction, and anxiety; however, clinical and preclinical studies raise concerns that complete blockade of mGlu5 and inverse agonist activity of current mGlu5 NAMs contribute to adverse effects that limit the therapeutic use of these compounds. We report the discovery and characterization of a novel mGlu5 NAM, N,N-diethyl-5-((3-fluorophenyl)ethynyl)picolinamide (VU0477573) that binds to the same allosteric site as the prototypical mGlu5 NAM MPEP but displays weak negative cooperativity. Because of this weak cooperativity, VU0477573 acts as a "partial NAM" so that full occupancy of the MPEP site does not completely inhibit maximal effects of mGlu5 agonists on intracellular calcium mobilization, inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation, or inhibition of synaptic transmission at the hippocampal Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse. Unlike previous mGlu5 NAMs, VU0477573 displays no inverse agonist activity assessed using measures of effects on basal [(3)H]inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation. VU0477573 acts as a full NAM when measuring effects on mGlu5-mediated extracellular signal-related kinases 1/2 phosphorylation, which may indicate functional bias. VU0477573 exhibits an excellent pharmacokinetic profile and good brain penetration in rodents and provides dose-dependent full mGlu5 occupancy in the central nervous system (CNS) with systemic administration. Interestingly, VU0477573 shows robust efficacy, comparable to the mGlu5 NAM MTEP, in models of anxiolytic activity at doses that provide full CNS occupancy of mGlu5 and demonstrate an excellent CNS occupancy-efficacy relationship. VU0477573 provides an exciting new tool to investigate the efficacy of partial NAMs in animal models.

Studying the binding interactions of allosteric agonists and antagonists of the CXCR4 receptor

Several examples of allosteric modulators of GPCRs have been reported recently in the literature, but understanding their molecular mechanism presents a new challenge for medicinal chemistry. For the specific case of the cellular receptor CXCR4, it is known that pepducins (lipidated fragments of intracellular GPCR loops) such as ATI-2341 modulate CXCR4 activity agonistically via an allosteric mechanism. Moreover, there are also examples of small organic molecules such as AMD11070 and GSK812397 which may also act as allosteric antagonists. However, incomplete knowledge of the ligand-binding sites has hampered a detailed molecular understanding of how these inhibitors work. Here, we attempt to answer this question by analysing the binding interactions between the CXCR4 receptor and the above-mentioned allosteric modulators. We propose two different allosteric binding sites, one located in the intracellular loops 1, 2 and 3 (ICL1, ICL2 and ICL3) which binds the pepducin agonist ATI-2341, and the other at a subsite of the main extracellular orthosteric binding pocket between extracellular loops 1 and 2 and the N-terminus, which binds the antagonists AMD11070 and GSK812397. Allosteric interactions between the CXCR4 and ATI-2341 were predicted by combining different modeling approaches. First, a rotational blind docking search was applied and the best poses were subsequently refined using flexible docking methods and molecular dynamic simulations. For the AMD11070 and GSK812397 antagonists, the entire CXCR4 protein surface was explored by blind docking in order to define the binding region. A second docking analysis by subsites was then performed to refine the allosteric interactions. Finally, we identified the binding residues that appear to be essential for CXCR4 allosteric modulators.

Fluorescent approaches for understanding interactions of ligands with G protein coupled receptors

G protein coupled receptors are responsible for a wide variety of signaling responses in diverse cell types. Despite major advances in the determination of structures of this class of receptors, the underlying mechanisms by which binding of different types of ligands specifically elicits particular signaling responses remain unclear. The use of fluorescence spectroscopy can provide important information about the process of ligand binding and ligand dependent conformational changes in receptors, especially kinetic aspects of these processes that can be difficult to extract from X-ray structures. We present an overview of the extensive array of fluorescent ligands that have been used in studies of G protein coupled receptors and describe spectroscopic approaches for assaying binding and probing the environment of receptor-bound ligands with particular attention to examples involving yeast pheromone receptors. In addition, we discuss the use of fluorescence spectroscopy for detecting and characterizing conformational changes in receptors induced by the binding of ligands. Such studies have provided strong evidence for diversity of receptor conformations elicited by different ligands, consistent with the idea that GPCRs are not simple on and off switches. This diversity of states constitutes an underlying mechanistic basis for biased agonism, the observation that different stimuli can produce different responses from a single receptor. It is likely that continued technical advances will allow fluorescence spectroscopy to play an important role in continued probing of structural transitions in G protein coupled receptors. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Structural and biophysical characterisation of membrane protein-ligand binding.

Development of allosteric modulators of GPCRs for treatment of CNS disorders

The discovery of allosteric modulators of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) provides a promising new strategy with potential for developing novel treatments for a variety of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Traditional drug discovery efforts targeting GPCRs have focused on developing ligands for orthosteric sites which bind endogenous ligands. Allosteric modulators target a site separate from the orthosteric site to modulate receptor function. These allosteric agents can either potentiate (positive allosteric modulator, PAM) or inhibit (negative allosteric modulator, NAM) the receptor response and often provide much greater subtype selectivity than orthosteric ligands for the same receptors. Experimental evidence has revealed more nuanced pharmacological modes of action of allosteric modulators, with some PAMs showing allosteric agonism in combination with positive allosteric modulation in response to endogenous ligand (ago-potentiators) as well as "bitopic" ligands that interact with both the allosteric and orthosteric sites. Drugs targeting the allosteric site allow for increased drug selectivity and potentially decreased adverse side effects. Promising evidence has demonstrated potential utility of a number of allosteric modulators of GPCRs in multiple CNS disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease, as well as psychiatric or neurobehavioral diseases such as anxiety, schizophrenia, and addiction.

Allosteric peptide regulators of chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7

The chemokine CXCL12 and its shared seven-transmembrane receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7 regulate diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis, autoimmunity, and HIV infection, making these molecules promising drug targets. These molecules also control key processes in normal development and physiology, suggesting the need to selectively modulate CXCR4 and/or CXCR7 functions and signaling to reduce potential complications of long-term therapy. We previously identified two peptides that functioned as allosteric agonists driving CXCR4-dependent chemotaxis, providing key structural information to design a small number of additional peptides to investigate determinants of CXCL12 interactions and signaling through CXCR4 and CXCR7. In the current study, we show that the previously identified peptides only minimally activated CXCR4 signaling through the cytosolic adapter protein β-arrestin 2 and do not initiate signaling to ERK1/2. By comparison, peptides with diverse N-terminal amino acid sequences effectively activated CXCR7 signaling to β-arrestin 2. One peptide, designated as GSLW based on its N-terminal amino acids, activated CXCR7 signaling and potentiated CXCL12-CXCR7 signaling without blocking the scavenger function of CXCR7 to internalize CXCL12. These results advance our understanding of CXCR7 ligand recognition and signaling, and provide structural information to target allosteric binding sites on this receptor as chemical probes and potential therapeutic agents.

Regulation of G protein-coupled receptors by allosteric ligands

Topographically distinct, druggable, allosteric sites may be present on all G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). As such, targeting these sites with synthetic small molecules offers an attractive approach to develop receptor-subtype selective chemical leads for the development of novel therapies. A crucial part of drug development is to understand the acute and chronic effects of such allosteric modulators at their corresponding GPCR target. Key regulatory processes including cell-surface delivery, endocytosis, recycling, and down-regulation tightly control the number of receptors at the surface of the cell. As many GPCR therapeutics will be administered chronically, understanding how such ligands modulate these regulatory pathways forms an essential part of the characterization of novel GPCR ligands. This is true for both orthosteric and allosteric ligands. In this Review, we summarize our current understanding of GPCR regulatory processes with a particular focus on the effects and implications of allosteric targeting of GPCRs.

Screening β-arrestin recruitment for the identification of natural ligands for orphan G-protein-coupled receptors

A variety of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) screening technologies have successfully partnered a number of GPCRs with their cognate ligands. GPCR-mediated β-arrestin recruitment is now recognized as a distinct intracellular signaling pathway, and ligand-receptor interactions may show a bias toward β-arrestin over classical GPCR signaling pathways. We hypothesized that the failure to identify native ligands for the remaining orphan GPCRs may be a consequence of biased β-arrestin signaling. To investigate this, we assembled 10 500 candidate ligands and screened 82 GPCRs using PathHunter β-arrestin recruitment technology. High-quality screening assays were validated by the inclusion of liganded receptors and the detection and confirmation of these established ligand-receptor pairings. We describe a candidate endogenous orphan GPCR ligand and a number of novel surrogate ligands. However, for the majority of orphan receptors studied, measurement of β-arrestin recruitment did not lead to the identification of cognate ligands from our screening sets. β-Arrestin recruitment represents a robust GPCR screening technology, and ligand-biased signaling is emerging as a therapeutically exploitable feature of GPCR biology. The identification of cognate ligands for the orphan GPCRs and the extent to which receptors may exist to preferentially signal through β-arrestin in response to their native ligand remain to be determined.

Pharmacological modulation of chemokine receptor function

G protein-coupled chemokine receptors and their peptidergic ligands are interesting therapeutic targets due to their involvement in various immune-related diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, HIV-1 infection and cancer. To tackle these diseases, a lot of effort has been focused on discovery and development of small-molecule chemokine receptor antagonists. This has been rewarded by the market approval of two novel chemokine receptor inhibitors, AMD3100 (CXCR4) and Maraviroc (CCR5) for stem cell mobilization and treatment of HIV-1 infection respectively. The recent GPCR crystal structures together with mutagenesis and pharmacological studies have aided in understanding how small-molecule ligands interact with chemokine receptors. Many of these ligands display behaviour deviating from simple competition and do not interact with the chemokine binding site, providing evidence for an allosteric mode of action. This review aims to give an overview of the evidence supporting modulation of this intriguing receptor family by a range of ligands, including small molecules, peptides and antibodies. Moreover, the computer-assisted modelling of chemokine receptor-ligand interactions is discussed in view of GPCR crystal structures. Finally, the implications of concepts such as functional selectivity and chemokine receptor dimerization are considered.

Signalling bias in new drug discovery: detection, quantification and therapeutic impact

Agonists of seven-transmembrane receptors, also known as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), do not uniformly activate all cellular signalling pathways linked to a given seven-transmembrane receptor (a phenomenon termed ligand or agonist bias); this discovery has changed how high-throughput screens are designed and how lead compounds are optimized for therapeutic activity. The ability to experimentally detect ligand bias has necessitated the development of methods for quantifying agonist bias in a way that can be used to guide structure-activity studies and the selection of drug candidates. Here, we provide a viewpoint on which methods are appropriate for quantifying bias, based on knowledge of how cellular and intracellular signalling proteins control the conformation of seven-transmembrane receptors. We also discuss possible predictions of how biased molecules may perform in vivo, and what potential therapeutic advantages they may provide.

Biology and clinical relevance of chemokines and chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR5 in human diseases

Chemokines and their receptors are implicated in a wide range of human diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) into a cell is initiated by the interaction of the virus's surface envelope proteins with two cell surface components of the target cell, namely CD4 and a chemokine co-receptor, usually CXCR4 or CCR5. Typical anti-HIV-1 agents include protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitors, but the targets of these agents tend to show rapid mutation rates. As such, strategies based on HIV-1 co-receptors have appeal because they target invariant host determinants. Chemokines and their receptors are also of general interest since they play important roles in numerous physiological and pathological processes in addition to AIDS. Therefore, intensive basic and translational research is ongoing for the dissection of their structure - function relationships in an effort to understand the molecular mechanism of chemokine - receptor interactions and signal transductions across cellular membranes. This paper reviews and discusses recent advances and the translation of new knowledge and discoveries into novel interventional strategies for clinical application.

Refining efficacy: allosterism and bias in G protein-coupled receptor signaling

Receptors on the surface of cells function as conduits for information flowing between the external environment and the cell interior. Since signal transduction is based on the physical interaction of receptors with both extracellular ligands and intracellular effectors, ligand binding must produce conformational changes in the receptor that can be transmitted to the intracellular domains accessible to G proteins and other effectors. Classical models of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling envision receptor conformations as highly constrained, wherein receptors exist in equilibrium between single "off" and "on" states distinguished by their ability to activate effectors, and ligands act by perturbing this equilibrium. In such models, ligands can be classified based upon two simple parameters; affinity and efficacy, and ligand activity is independent of the assay used to detect the response. However, it is clear that GPCRs assume multiple conformations, any number of which may be capable of interacting with a discrete subset of possible effectors. Both orthosteric ligands, molecules that occupy the natural ligand-binding pocket, and allosteric modulators, small molecules or proteins that contact receptors distant from the site of ligand binding, have the ability to alter the conformational equilibrium of a receptor in ways that affect its signaling output both qualitatively and quantitatively. In this context, efficacy becomes pluridimensional and ligand classification becomes assay dependent. A more complete description of ligand-receptor interaction requires the use of multiplexed assays of receptor activation and screening assays may need to be tailored to detect specific efficacy profiles.