Over the past decade, peptide drug discovery has experienced a revival of interest and scientific momentum, as the pharmaceutical industry has come to appreciate the role that peptide therapeutics can play in addressing unmet medical needs and how this class of compounds can be an excellent complement or even preferable alternative to small molecule and biological therapeutics. In this Perspective, we give a concise description of the recent progress in peptide drug discovery in a holistic manner, highlighting enabling technological advances affecting nearly every aspect of this field: from lead discovery, to synthesis and optimization, to peptide drug delivery. An emphasis is placed on describing research efforts to overcome the inherent weaknesses of peptide drugs, in particular their poor pharmacokinetic properties, and how these efforts have been critical to the discovery, design, and subsequent development of novel therapeutics.

The Current State of Peptide Drug Discovery: Back to the Future?

The Adhesion family forms a large branch of the pharmacologically important superfamily of G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). As Adhesion GPCRs increasingly receive attention from a wide spectrum of biomedical fields, the Adhesion GPCR Consortium, together with the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug Classification, proposes a unified nomenclature for Adhesion GPCRs. The new names have ADGR as common dominator followed by a letter and a number to denote each subfamily and subtype, respectively. The new names, with old and alternative names within parentheses, are: ADGRA1 (GPR123), ADGRA2 (GPR124), ADGRA3 (GPR125), ADGRB1 (BAI1), ADGRB2 (BAI2), ADGRB3 (BAI3), ADGRC1 (CELSR1), ADGRC2 (CELSR2), ADGRC3 (CELSR3), ADGRD1 (GPR133), ADGRD2 (GPR144), ADGRE1 (EMR1, F4/80), ADGRE2 (EMR2), ADGRE3 (EMR3), ADGRE4 (EMR4), ADGRE5 (CD97), ADGRF1 (GPR110), ADGRF2 (GPR111), ADGRF3 (GPR113), ADGRF4 (GPR115), ADGRF5 (GPR116, Ig-Hepta), ADGRG1 (GPR56), ADGRG2 (GPR64, HE6), ADGRG3 (GPR97), ADGRG4 (GPR112), ADGRG5 (GPR114), ADGRG6 (GPR126), ADGRG7 (GPR128), ADGRL1 (latrophilin-1, CIRL-1, CL1), ADGRL2 (latrophilin-2, CIRL-2, CL2), ADGRL3 (latrophilin-3, CIRL-3, CL3), ADGRL4 (ELTD1, ETL), and ADGRV1 (VLGR1, GPR98). This review covers all major biologic aspects of Adhesion GPCRs, including evolutionary origins, interaction partners, signaling, expression, physiologic functions, and therapeutic potential.

https://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/pharmrev/67/2/338.full.pdf

International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. XCIV. Adhesion G Protein–Coupled Receptors

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily member 11 (TNFSF11, also known as RANKL) regulates multiple physiological or pathological functions, including osteoclast differentiation and osteoporosis. TNFRSF11A (also called RANK) is considered to be the sole receptor for RANKL. Herein we report that leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 4 (LGR4, also called GPR48) is another receptor for RANKL. LGR4 competes with RANK to bind RANKL and suppresses canonical RANK signaling during osteoclast differentiation. RANKL binding to LGR4 activates the Gαq and GSK3-β signaling pathway, an action that suppresses the expression and activity of nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic, calcineurin-dependent 1 (NFATC1) during osteoclastogenesis. Both whole-body (Lgr4(-/-)) and monocyte conditional knockout mice of Lgr4 (Lgr4 CKO) exhibit osteoclast hyperactivation (including elevation of osteoclast number, surface area, and size) and increased bone erosion. The soluble LGR4 extracellular domain (ECD) binds RANKL and inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vivo. Moreover, LGR4-ECD therapeutically abrogated RANKL-induced bone loss in three mouse models of osteoporosis. Therefore, LGR4 acts as a second RANKL receptor that negatively regulates osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption.

LGR4 is a receptor for RANKL and negatively regulates osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption.

Short chain fatty acids and their receptors: new metabolic targets

Novel insights into G protein and G protein-coupled receptor signaling in cancer

The superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) includes at least 800 seven-transmembrane receptors that participate in diverse physiological and pathological functions. GPCRs are the most successful targets of modern medicine, and approximately 36% of marketed pharmaceuticals target human GPCRs. However, the endogenous ligands of more than 140 GPCRs remain unidentified, leaving the natural functions of those GPCRs in doubt. These are the so-called orphan GPCRs, a great source of drug targets. This review focuses on the signaling transduction pathways of the adhesion GPCR family, the LGR subfamily, and the PSGR subfamily, and their potential functions in immunology, development, and cancers. In this review, we present the current approaches and difficulties of orphan GPCR deorphanization and characterization.

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Orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs): biological functions and potential drug targets

Adhesion G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), which contain adhesion domains in their extracellular region, have been found to play important roles in cell adhesion, motility, embryonic development, and immune response. Because most adhesion molecules with adhesion domains have vital roles in cancer metastasis, we speculated that adhesion GPCRs are potentially involved in cancer metastasis. In this study, we identified GPR116 as a novel regulator of breast cancer metastasis through expression and functional screening of the adhesion GPCR family. We found that knockdown of GPR116 in highly metastatic (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cells suppressed cell migration and invasion. Conversely, ectopic GPR116 expression in poorly metastatic (MCF-7 and Hs578T) cells promoted cell invasion. We further showed that knockdown of GPR116 inhibited breast cancer cell metastasis in two mammary tumor metastasis mouse models. Moreover, GPR116 modulated the formation of lamellipodia and actin stress fibers in cells in a RhoA- and Rac1-dependent manner. At a molecular level, GPR116 regulated cell motility and morphology through the Gαq-p63RhoGEF-RhoA/Rac1 pathway. The biologic significance of GPR116 in breast cancer is substantiated in human patient samples, where GPR116 expression is significantly correlated with breast tumor progression, recurrence, and poor prognosis. These findings show that GPR116 is crucial for the metastasis of breast cancer and support GPR116 as a potential prognostic marker and drug target against metastatic human breast cancer.

https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/73/20/6206.full.pdf

GPR116, an adhesion G-protein-coupled receptor, promotes breast cancer metastasis via the Gαq-p63RhoGEF-Rho GTPase pathway.

The invention discloses an isolated GPR116 (G-protein coupled Receptor) gene shown as SEQ ID NO.1, GPR116 receptor protein coded by the same and application of the GPR116 gene or the GPR116 receptor protein in preparing medicaments for treating or diagnosing breast cancer. The invention discloses an antisense gene of GPR116 or a small interfering siRNA sequence and application thereof in preparing medicaments for treating or diagnosing breast cancer. The invention also discloses a medical composition containing an effective quantity of GPR116 genes or GPR116 receptor protein or antisense genes or small interfering siRNA sequences.

Xiaolong Tang

Papers

Orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs): biological functions and potential drug targets

GPR116, an adhesion G-protein-coupled receptor, promotes breast cancer metastasis via the Gαq-p63RhoGEF-Rho GTPase pathway.

GPR116 (G-protein coupled Receptor) gene, receptor protein coded by same and application of the GPR116 gene