Crystal structure of the α1B-adrenergic receptor reveals molecular determinants of selective ligand recognition

α-adrenergic receptors (αARs) are G protein-coupled receptors that regulate vital functions of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The therapeutic potential of αARs, however, is largely unexploited and hampered by the scarcity of subtype-selective ligands. Moreover, several aminergic drugs either show off-target binding to αARs or fail to interact with the desired subtype. Here, we report the crystal structure of human α_1BAR bound to the inverse agonist (+)-cyclazosin, enabled by the fusion to a DARPin crystallization chaperone. The α_1BAR structure allows the identification of two unique secondary binding pockets. By structural comparison of α_1BAR with α₂ARs, and by constructing α_1BAR-α_2CAR chimeras, we identify residues 3.29 and 6.55 as key determinants of ligand selectivity. Our findings provide a basis for discovery of α_1BAR-selective ligands and may guide the optimization of aminergic drugs to prevent off-target binding to αARs, or to elicit a selective interaction with the desired subtype.

This study reports the X-ray structure of the α_1B-adrenergic G protein-coupled receptor bound to an inverse agonist, and unveils key determinants of subtype-selective ligand binding that may help the design of aminergic drugs with fewer side-effects.

Cryo-EM structure of an activated GPCR-G protein complex in lipid nanodiscs

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest superfamily of transmembrane proteins and the targets of over 30% of currently marketed pharmaceuticals. Although several structures have been solved for GPCR-G protein complexes, few are in a lipid membrane environment. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of complexes of neurotensin, neurotensin receptor 1 and Gαi1β1γ1 in two conformational states, resolved to resolutions of 4.1 and 4.2 Å. The structures, determined in a lipid bilayer without any stabilizing antibodies or nanobodies, reveal an extended network of protein-protein interactions at the GPCR-G protein interface as compared to structures obtained in detergent micelles. The findings show that the lipid membrane modulates the structure and dynamics of complex formation and provide a molecular explanation for the stronger interaction between GPCRs and G proteins in lipid bilayers. We propose an allosteric mechanism for GDP release, providing new insights into the activation of G proteins for downstream signaling.

Complexes of the neurotensin receptor 1 with small-molecule ligands reveal structural determinants of full, partial, and inverse agonism

Neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) and related G protein-coupled receptors of the ghrelin family are clinically unexploited, and several mechanistic aspects of their activation and inactivation have remained unclear. Enabled by a new crystallization design, we present five new structures: apo-state NTSR1 as well as complexes with nonpeptide inverse agonists SR48692 and SR142948A, partial agonist RTI-3a, and the novel full agonist SRI-9829, providing structural rationales on how ligands modulate NTSR1. The inverse agonists favor a large extracellular opening of helices VI and VII, undescribed so far for NTSR1, causing a constriction of the intracellular portion. In contrast, the full and partial agonists induce a binding site contraction, and their efficacy correlates with the ability to mimic the binding mode of the endogenous agonist neurotensin. Providing evidence of helical and side-chain rearrangements modulating receptor activation, our structural and functional data expand the mechanistic understanding of NTSR1 and potentially other peptidergic receptors.