Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein)–coupled receptors constitute the largest family of eukaryotic signal transduction proteins that communicate across the membrane. We report the crystal structure of a human β2-adrenergic receptor–T4 lysozyme fusion protein bound to the partial inverse agonist carazolol at 2.4 angstrom resolution. The structure provides a high-resolution view of a human G protein–coupled receptor bound to a diffusible ligand. Ligand-binding site accessibility is enabled by the second extracellular loop, which is held out of the binding cavity by a pair of closely spaced disulfide bridges and a short helical segment within the loop. Cholesterol, a necessary component for crystallization, mediates an intriguing parallel association of receptor molecules in the crystal lattice. Although the location of carazolol in the β2-adrenergic receptor is very similar to that of retinal in rhodopsin, structural differences in the ligand-binding site and other regions highlight the challenges in using rhodopsin as a template model for this large receptor family.

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High-Resolution Crystal Structure of an Engineered Human β2-Adrenergic G Protein–Coupled Receptor

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are responsible for the majority of cellular responses to hormones and neurotransmitters as well as the senses of sight, olfaction and taste. The paradigm of GPCR signalling is the activation of a heterotrimeric GTP binding protein (G protein) by an agonist-occupied receptor. The b2 adrenergic receptor (b2AR) activation of Gs, the stimulatory G protein for adenylyl cyclase, has long been a model system for GPCR signalling. Here we present the crystal structure of the active state ternary complex composed of agonist-occupied monomericb2AR and nucleotide-free Gs heterotrimer. The principal interactions between the b2AR and Gs involve the amino- and carboxy-terminal a-helices of Gs, with conformational changes propagating to the nucleotide-binding pocket. The

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Crystal structure of the β2 adrenergic receptor-Gs protein complex.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate most of our physiological responses to hormones, neurotransmitters and environmental stimulants, and so have great potential as therapeutic targets for a broad spectrum of diseases. They are also fascinating molecules from the perspective of membrane-protein structure and biology. Great progress has been made over the past three decades in understanding diverse GPCRs, from pharmacology to functional characterization in vivo. Recent high-resolution structural studies have provided insights into the molecular mechanisms of GPCR activation and constitutive activity.

The structure and function of G-protein-coupled receptors

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) are one-pot reactions employing more than two starting materials, e.g. 3, 4, … 7, where most of the atoms of the starting materials are incorporated in the final product.1 Several descriptive tags are regularly attached to MCRs (Fig. 1): they are atom economic, e.g. the majority if not all of the atoms of the starting materials are incorporated in the product; they are efficient, e.g. they efficiently yield the product since the product is formed in one-step instead of multiple sequential steps; they are convergent, e.g. several starting materials combine in one reaction to form the product; they exhibit a very high bond-forming-index (BFI), e.g. several non-hydrogen atom bonds are formed in one synthetic transformation.2 Therefore MCRs are often a useful alternative to sequential multistep synthesis.






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Figure 1


Above: multistep syntheses can be divergent (sequential) or convergent; below: in analogy MCR reactions are convergent and one or two component reactions are divergent or less convergent.

Chemistry and Biology Of Multicomponent Reactions

The adenosine class of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediates the important role of extracellular adenosine in many physiological processes and is antagonized by caffeine. We have determined the crystal structure of the human A2A adenosine receptor, in complex with a high-affinity subtype-selective antagonist, ZM241385, to 2.6 angstrom resolution. Four disulfide bridges in the extracellular domain, combined with a subtle repacking of the transmembrane helices relative to the adrenergic and rhodopsin receptor structures, define a pocket distinct from that of other structurally determined GPCRs. The arrangement allows for the binding of the antagonist in an extended conformation, perpendicular to the membrane plane. The binding site highlights an integral role for the extracellular loops, together with the helical core, in ligand recognition by this class of GPCRs and suggests a role for ZM241385 in restricting the movement of a tryptophan residue important in the activation mechanism of the class A receptors.

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The 2.6 Angstrom Crystal Structure of a Human A2A Adenosine Receptor Bound to an Antagonist.

Structural analysis of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) for hormones and neurotransmitters has been hindered by their low natural abundance, inherent structural flexibility, and instability in detergent solutions. Here we report a structure of the human beta2 adrenoceptor (beta2AR), which was crystallized in a lipid environment when bound to an inverse agonist and in complex with a Fab that binds to the third intracellular loop. Diffraction data were obtained by high-brilliance microcrystallography and the structure determined at 3.4 A/3.7 A resolution. The cytoplasmic ends of the beta2AR transmembrane segments and the connecting loops are well resolved, whereas the extracellular regions of the beta2AR are not seen. The beta2AR structure differs from rhodopsin in having weaker interactions between the cytoplasmic ends of transmembrane (TM)3 and TM6, involving the conserved E/DRY sequences. These differences may be responsible for the relatively high basal activity and structural instability of the beta2AR, and contribute to the challenges in obtaining diffraction-quality crystals of non-rhodopsin GPCRs.

Crystal structure of the human beta2 adrenergic G-protein-coupled receptor.

The invention provides a method of predicting a three dimensional structural representation of a target protein of unknown structure, or part thereof, comprising: providing the coordinates of the turkey β1-AR structure listed in Table A, Table B, Table C or Table D, optionally varied by a root mean square deviation of residue backbone atoms of not more than 1.235 A, or selected coordinates thereof; and predicting the three-dimensional structural representation of the target protein, or part thereof, by modelling the structural representation on all or the selected coordinates of the turkey β1 -AR. The invention also provides the use of the turkey β1 -AR coordinates to select or design one or more binding partners of β1 -AR.

Crystal structure of a betal -adremergi c receptor and uses thereof

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest family of membrane proteins in the human genome, and are responsible for the majority of signal transduction events involving hormones and neuro- transmitters across the cell membrane. GPCRs that bind to diffusible ligands have low natural abundance, are relatively unstable in detergents, and dis- play basal G protein activation even in the absence of ligands. To overcome these problems two approaches were taken to obtain crystal structures of the ______ * To whom correspondence should be addressed. William Weis, Departments of Structural Biology

Patricia C. Edwards

Papers

Crystal structure of the human beta2 adrenergic G-protein-coupled receptor.

Crystal structure of a betal -adremergi c receptor and uses thereof

Crystal structures of the e 2 -adrenergic receptor