G protein-Coupled Receptors Flashcards
What is the most plentiful membrane receptor?
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).
How do GPCRs exert their affects?
By acting on G-protein, GTPase.
What are GPCRs also known as?
7TM receptors.
What is an orphan receptor?
A receptor found that does not have a known matching ligand found.
Where are GPCRs expressed?
In only specific tissues and cell types.
What is the effect of a GPCR?
To induce FAST BIOCHEMICAL CHANGE within target cells.
Ex: Noradrenalin inducing muscle cells to break down glycogen to glucose units.
What is unique about GPCRs?
Very few GPCR mediated signals induces changes in gene expression.
Which receptor would I use if I did not want to alter gene expression?
GPCR.
What are the therapeutic drugs acting through GPCRs?
- Antidepressants
- Antihypertensives
- Asthma drugs
- Anti-inflammatories
What are the NON-therapeutic drugs acting through GPCRs?
- Amphetamines (serotonin)
- Cannabinoids
- Cocaine (dopamine D3)
- Ketamine (dopamine D2 receptor)
- LSD (serotonin receptor)
- Opium alkaloids (natural ligands are peptides)
What is the best known GPCR?
Rhodopsin, a receptor of light and energy in the retina.
What is a second best known GPCR?
B-adrenergic receptor: receptor for noradrenalin the fight or flight hormone.
What happens when these two well known receptors are activated?
Activation causes specific biochemical changes in cytoplasm.
What is the composition of a GPCR?
Single polypeptides.
What are the three classes of GPCR?
- Class A (short extracellular domain), rhodopsin like
- Class B (long extracellular domain), secretin like
- Class C (extra long extracellular domain), metabotropic glutamate/pheromone
What are the three components or domains of the GPCR?
- Extracellular domains (N-terminal portion), loops between 2&3, 4&5, 6&7. Stabilized by S-S bonds that are often glycosylated (carb attached to OH group).
- Transmembrane domain, consisting of 7TM segments.
- Intracellular or cytoplasmic domain (C-terminal domain), loops between 1&2, 3&4, and 5&6. There are cys residues near C-terminus that may be modified with palmitoyl group acting as the anchor due to increasing affinity for membrane.
What happens when a ligand binds to an extracellular site?
Causes a change in the cytoplasmic domain.
What happens when the cytoplasmic domain changes from ligand binding on extracellular site?
Allows for interaction with signalling transducing G protein.
What must be known in order to understand signalling of GPCRs?
The structure of GPCR.
What is used to determine the structure of GPCR?
X-ray crystallography.
What was the GPCR in question when developing crystallography methods?
B-adregenic receptor.
What are key characteristics of the B-adregenic receptor?
FLEXIBLE. Some molecules even become activated when there is no agonist (noradrenalin).
What is the problem with this flexibility?
Create a mixed population of molecules therefore, difficult to crystallize.
What was the most flexible region of the B-adregenic receptor?
The intracellular domain including the C-terminus.
To lock all receptors in one conformation would be to create a single population of receptors and the ability to crystallize.
What was another issue of trying to crystallize the B-adregenic receptor?
It has hydrophobic surfaces that interact with membrane lipids skewing or giving inaccurate structure.
How do we compensate for this?
Attach a Fab fragment from a monoclonal antibody to the flexible loop (5/6) showing not to interfere with receptor response. (Loop is part of receptor).
What were the components or modifications of the GPCR?
Complex contained;
- Inverse agonist (carazolol ring).
- Membrane lipid and detergent.
- Extracellular oligosaccaride groups removed.
- 48 residues of polypeptide cut out, removing most flexible region.
What parts were still undefined despite this modification?
- Extracellular loop (although not many modifications were done to it).
- Even parts of the intracellular 5/6 C-terminus loop.
TM and 1/2, 3/4 loops were clear.
Was the ligand recognizable?
The flat carazolol ring (at the binding site) was recognizable.
Where is the binding site?
Near the extracellular surface, where helices 3,6,7 come together to form binding pocket.
What were these residues (3,6,7) involved in before?
- Noradrenalin binding.
2. Where the 11-cis-retinal, prosthetic group is located on rhodopsin structure.
What was the second X-ray crystallography approach for determining GPCR structure?
- Also used carazolol ligand to stabilize the inactive conformation.
- Replaced third intracellular loop with lysozyme enzyme.
Why was the lysozyme enzyme used to replace the third intracellular loop?
Will crystallize itself, and would possible direct crystallization of the fusion protein.
What else did the second method of XRD also implement?
Lipid mixture containing cholesterol.
What were the results of this method?
Structure demonstrated all residues except for N-terminus and C-terminus sections.
What was seen?
- Two cholesterol molecules.
- Carazolol.
- Palmitic membrane. anchor of Cys341.
What was the receptor that had most residues and loops defined?
B1-adrenergic receptor from turkey.