Sophie Mary

Phenylglycine derivatives discriminate between mGluR1- and mGluR5-mediated responses

The effects of the phenylglycine derivatives, alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG), 4-carboxyphenylglycine (4CPG), 4-carboxy-3-hydroxyphenylglycine (4C3HPG), 3-hydroxyphenylglycine (3HPG) and 3,5-dihydrohyphenylglycine (DHPG) were tested on LLC-PK1 cells transiently expressing the rat mGluR1a or mGluR5a receptors. As previously reported by others, (S)-3HPG and (RS)-DHPG were found to be partial agonists at mGluR1a, whereas(+)-MCPG,(S)-4CPG and (S)-4C3HPG competitively antagonized the effect of Glu. Surprisingly, the 4-carboxy derivatives of phenylglycine antagonized the effect of 1S,3R-ACPD on mGluR1a with lower KB values. On mGluR5a, (S)-3HPG and (RS)-DHPG are also partial agonists. However, in contrast to their effects on mGluR1a,(S)-4CPG did not inhibit the effect of Glu or 1S,3R-ACPD, and (S)-4C3HPG acted as an agonist at high concentration. Whereas no significant antagonism of the Glu effect on mGluR5a was observed with 1 mM (+)-MCPG, this compound was found to potently and competitively antagonize the effect of 1S,3R-ACPD. Finally, the effect of 4CPG was also examined on cultured cortical and cerebellar neurons that express mGluR5 and mGluR1 mRNA, respectively. 4CPG inhibited 1S,3R-ACPD-stimulated IP production in cerebellar neurons only. These results(1) demonstrate that phenylglycine derivatives can be used to discriminate between effects mediated by mGluR1 and mGluR5 and (2) suggest that the apparent potency of phenylglycine antagonists depends on the agonist used to activate these receptors.

Amphipol-Assisted in Vitro Folding of G Protein-Coupled Receptors †

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate numerous physiological functions. The primary difficulty presented by their study in vitro is to obtain them in sufficient amounts under a functional and stable form. Escherichia coli is a host of choice for producing recombinant proteins for structural studies. However, the insertion of GPCRs into its plasma membrane usually results in bacterial death. An alternative approach consists of targeting recombinant receptors to inclusion bodies, where they accumulate without affecting bacterial growth, and then folding them in vitro. This approach, however, stumbles over the very low folding yields typically achieved, whether in detergent solutions or in detergent-lipid mixtures. Here, we show that synthetic polymers known as amphipols provide a highly efficient medium for folding GPCRs. Using a generic protocol, we have folded four class A GPCRs to their functional state, as evidenced by the binding of their respective ligands. This strategy thus appears to have the potential to be generalized to a large number of GPCRs. These data are also of interest from a more fundamental point of view: they indicate that the structural information stored in the sequence of these four receptors allows them to reach their correct three-dimensional structure in an environment that bears no similarity, beyond the amphiphilic character, to lipid bilayers.

Ligands and signaling proteins govern the conformational landscape explored by a G protein-coupled receptor.

The dynamic character of G protein-coupled receptors is essential to their function. However, the details of how ligands stabilize a particular conformation to selectively activate a signaling pathway and how signaling proteins affect this conformational repertoire remain unclear. Using a prototypical peptide-activated class A G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), the ghrelin receptor, reconstituted as a monomer into lipid discs and labeled with a fluorescent conformational reporter, we demonstrate that ligand efficacy and functional selectivity are directly related to different receptor conformations. Of importance, our data bring direct evidence that distinct effector proteins affect the conformational landscape of the ghrelin receptor in different ways. Whereas G proteins affect the balance between active and inactive receptor substates in favor of the active state, agonist-induced arrestin recruitment is accompanied by a marked change in the structural features of the receptor that adopt a conformation different from that observed in the absence of arrestin. In contrast to G proteins and arrestins, μ-AP2 has no significant effect on the organization of the transmembrane core of the receptor. Such a modulation of a GPCR conformational landscape by pharmacologically distinct ligands and effectors provides insights into the structural bases that decisively affect ligand efficacy and subsequent biological responses. This is also likely to have major implications for the design of drugs activating specific GPCR-associated signaling pathways.

mGluR7‐like metabotropic glutamate receptors inhibit NMDA‐mediated excitotoxicity in cultured mouse cerebellar granule neurons

Glutamate‐induced glutamate release may be involved in the delayed neuronal death induced by N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA). In order to examine a possible modulatory effect of the presynaptic group III mGluRs on glutamate excitotoxicity, the effect of l‐2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutyrate (L‐AP4) was examined on NMDA‐induced delayed death of mouse cerebellar granule neurons in culture. We found that L‐AP4, at high concentration (in the millimolar range), inhibited in a non‐competitive manner the NMDA‐induced toxicity. This effect was mimicked by high concentration of l‐serine‐o‐phosphate (L‐SOP), and was inhibited by pertussis toxin (PTX) indicating the involvement of a Gi/o protein. This suggests the involvement of mGluR7 in the L‐AP4 effect, and this was consistent with the detection of both mGluR7 protein and mRNA in these cultured neurons. To examine the mechanism of the L‐AP4‐induced protection from excitotoxic damage, the effect of L‐AP4 on glutamate release was examined. L‐AP4 (≥ 1 mm) non‐competitively inhibited by more than 60% the glutamate release induced by NMDA during the insult. We also observed that the 10‐min NMDA receptor stimulation resulted in a dramatic increase in the extracellular glutamate concentration reaching 6000% of the control value 24 h after the insult. This large increase was also inhibited when NMDA was applied in the presence of ≥ 1 mm L‐AP4. Part of the L‐AP4‐induced protection from excitotoxic damage of granule neurons may therefore result from the inhibition of the vicious cycle: dying cells release glutamate, glutamate induced cell death. The present results add to the hypothesis that presynaptic mGluRs, probably mGluR7, may be the targets of drugs decreasing glutamate release and then neuronal death observed in some pathological situations.

Nonionic Homopolymeric Amphipols: Application to Membrane Protein Folding, Cell-Free Synthesis, and Solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Nonionic amphipols (NAPols) synthesized by homotelomerization of an amphiphatic monomer are able to keep membrane proteins (MPs) stable and functional in the absence of detergent. Some of their biochemical and biophysical properties and applications have been examined, with particular attention being paid to their complementarity with the classical polyacrylate-based amphipol A8-35. Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) from Halobacterium salinarum and the cytochrome b(6)f complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were found to be in their native state and highly stable following complexation with NAPols. NAPol-trapped BR was shown to undergo its complete photocycle. Because of the pH insensitivity of NAPols, solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) two-dimensional (1)H-(15)N heteronuclear single-quantum coherence spectra of NAPol-trapped outer MP X from Escherichia coli (OmpX) could be recorded at pH 6.8. They present a resolution similar to that of the spectra of OmpX/A8-35 complexes recorded at pH 8.0 and give access to signals from solvent-exposed rapidy exchanging amide protons. Like A8-35, NAPols can be used to fold MPs to their native state as demonstrated here with BR and with the ghrelin G protein-coupled receptor GHS-R1a, thus extending the range of accessible folding conditions. Following NAPol-assisted folding, GHS-R1a bound four of its specific ligands, recruited arrestin-2, and activated binding of GTPγS by the G(αq) protein. Finally, cell-free synthesis of MPs, which is inhibited by A8-35 and sulfonated amphipols, was found to be very efficient in the presence of NAPols. These results open broad new perspectives on the use of amphipols for MP studies.

High Constitutive Activity Is an Intrinsic Feature of Ghrelin Receptor Protein A STUDY WITH A FUNCTIONAL MONOMERIC GHS-R1a RECEPTOR RECONSTITUTED IN LIPID DISCS

Background: Constitutive activity is central to G protein-coupled receptor signaling but the mechanisms underlying it are still unknown. Results: The ghrelin receptor monomer reconstituted in a lipid disc activates Gq without agonist and recruits arrestin in a ligand-dependent manner. Conclusion: High constitutive activity is an intrinsic property of the ghrelin receptor. Significance: This is the first demonstration that the ghrelin receptor has all the determinants for constitutive activity and ligand-regulated internalization. Despite its central role in signaling and the potential therapeutic applications of inverse agonists, the molecular mechanisms underlying G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) constitutive activity remain largely to be explored. In this context, ghrelin receptor GHS-R1a is a peculiar receptor in the sense that it displays a strikingly high, physiologically relevant, constitutive activity. To identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for this high constitutive activity, we have reconstituted a purified GHS-R1a monomer in a lipid disc. Using this reconstituted system, we show that the isolated ghrelin receptor per se activates Gq in the absence of agonist, as assessed through guanosine 5′-O-(thiotriphosphate) binding experiments. The measured constitutive activity is similar in its extent to that observed in heterologous systems and in vivo. This is the first direct evidence for the high constitutive activity of the ghrelin receptor being an intrinsic property of the protein rather than the result of influence of its cellular environment. Moreover, we show that the isolated receptor in lipid discs recruits arrestin-2 in an agonist-dependent manner, whereas it interacts with μ-AP2 in the absence of ligand or in the presence of ghrelin. Of importance, these differences are linked to ligand-specific GHS-R1a conformations, as assessed by intrinsic fluorescence measurements. The distinct ligand requirements for the interaction of purified GHS-R1a with arrestin and AP2 provide a new rationale to the differences in basal and agonist-induced internalization observed in cells.

Cdc42Hs and Rac1 GTPases induce the collapse of the vimentin intermediate filament network.

In this study we show that expression of active Cdc42Hs and Rac1 GTPases, two Rho family members, leads to the reorganization of the vimentin intermediate filament (IF) network, showing a perinuclear collapse. Cdc42Hs displays a stronger effect than Rac1 as 90% versus 75% of GTPase-expressing cells show vimentin collapse. Similar vimentin IF modifications were observed when endogenous Cdc42Hs was activated by bradykinin treatment, endogenous Rac1 by platelet-derived growth factor/epidermal growth factor, or both endogenous proteins upon expression of active RhoG. This reorganization of the vimentin IF network is not associated with any significant increase in soluble vimentin. Using effector loop mutants of Cdc42Hs and Rac1, we show that the vimentin collapse is mostly independent of CRIB (Cdc42Hs or Rac-interacting binding)-mediated pathways such as JNK or PAK activation but is associated with actin reorganization. This does not result from F-actin depolymerization, because cytochalasin D treatment or Scar-WA expression have merely no effect on vimentin organization. Finally, we show that genistein treatment of Cdc42 and Rac1-expressing cells strongly reduces vimentin collapse, whereas staurosporin, wortmannin, LY-294002,R p-cAMP, or RII, the regulatory subunit of protein kinase A, remain ineffective. Moreover, we detected an increase in cellular tyrosine phosphorylation content after Cdc42Hs and Rac1 expression without modification of the vimentin phosphorylation status. These data indicate that Cdc42Hs and Rac1 GTPases control vimentin IF organization involving tyrosine phosphorylation events.

Extreme C terminus of G protein alpha-subunits contains a site that discriminates between Gi-coupled metabotropic glutamate receptors.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu receptors), the Ca2+-sensing receptor, γ-aminobutyric acid type B receptors, and one group of pheromone receptors constitute a unique family (also called family 3) of heptahelical receptors. This original family shares no sequence similarity with any other G protein-coupled receptors. The identification and comparison of the molecular determinants of receptor/G protein coupling within the different receptor families may help identify general rules involved in this protein/protein interaction. In order to detect possible contact sites important for coupling selectivity between family 3 receptors and the G protein α-subunits, we examined the coupling of the cyclase-inhibiting mGlu2 and mGlu4 receptors to chimeric αq-subunits bearing the 5 extreme C-terminal amino acid residues of either Gαi, Gαo, or Gαz. Whereas mGlu4 receptor activated all three chimeric G proteins, mGlu2 receptor activated Gαqi and Gαqo but not Gαqz. The mutation of isoleucine −4 of Gαqz into cysteine was sufficient to recover coupling of the mutant G protein to mGlu2 receptor. Moreover, the mutation of cysteine −4 of Gαqointo isoleucine was sufficient to suppress the coupling to mGlu2 receptor. Mutations at positions −5 and −1 had an effect on coupling efficiency, but not selectivity. Our results emphasize the importance of the residue −4 of the α-subunits in their specific interaction to heptahelical receptors by extending this finding on the third family of G protein-coupled receptors.

Homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence-based assay to screen for ligands targeting the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a.

The growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a) belongs to class A G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). This receptor mediates pleiotropic effects of ghrelin and represents a promising target for dysfunctions of growth hormone secretion and energy homeostasis including obesity. Identification of new compounds which bind GHS-R1a is traditionally achieved using radioactive binding assays. Here we propose a new fluorescence-based assay, called Tag-lite binding assay, based on a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) process between a terbium cryptate covalently attached to a SNAP-tag fused GHS-R1a (SNAP-GHS-R1a) and a high-affinity red fluorescent ghrelin ligand. The long fluorescence lifetime of the terbium cryptate allows a time-resolved detection of the FRET signal. The assay was made compatible with high-throughput screening by using prelabeled cells in suspension under a 384-well plate format. K(i) values for a panel of 14 compounds displaying agonist, antagonist, or inverse agonist properties were determined using both the radioactive and the Tag-lite binding assays performed on the same batches of GHS-R1a-expressing cells. Compound potencies obtained in the two assays were nicely correlated. This study is the first description of a sensitive and reliable nonradioactive binding assay for GHS-R1a in a format amenable to high-throughput screening.

G Protein Activation by the Leukotriene B4 Receptor Dimer EVIDENCE FOR AN ABSENCE OF TRANS-ACTIVATION

There is compelling evidence that G protein-coupled receptors exist as homo- and heterodimers, but the way these assemblies function at the molecular level remains unclear. We used here the purified leukotriene B4 receptor BLT1 stabilized in its dimeric state to analyze how a receptor dimer activates G proteins. For this, we produced heterodimers between the wild-type BLT1 and a BLT1/ALXR chimera. The latter is no longer activated by leukotriene B4 but is still activated by ALXR agonists. In this heterodimer, agonist binding to either one of the two protomers induced asymmetric conformational changes within the receptor dimer. Of importance, no G protein activation was observed when using a dimer where the ligand-loaded protomer was not able to trigger GDP/GTP exchange due to specific mutations in its third intracellular loop, establishing that the conformation of the agonist-free protomer is not competent for G protein activation. Taken together, these data indicate that although ligand binding to one protomer in the heterodimer is associated with cross-conformational changes, a trans-activation mechanism where the ligand-free subunit would trigger GDP/GTP exchange cannot be considered in this case for G protein activation. This observation sheds light into the way GPCR dimers, in particular heterodimers, could activate their cognate G proteins.