Electrostatically-driven fast association and perdeuteration allow detection of transferred cross-relaxation for G protein-coupled receptor ligands with equilibrium dissociation constants in the high-to-low nanomolar range

J Biomol NMR. 2011 Jul;50(3):191-5. doi: 10.1007/s10858-011-9523-3. Epub 2011 Jun 19.

Abstract

The mechanism of signal transduction mediated by G protein-coupled receptors is a subject of intense research in pharmacological and structural biology. Ligand association to the receptor constitutes a critical event in the activation process. Solution-state NMR can be amenable to high-resolution structure determination of agonist molecules in their receptor-bound state by detecting dipolar interactions in a transferred mode, even with equilibrium dissociation constants below the micromolar range. This is possible in the case of an inherent ultra-fast diffusive association of charged ligands onto a highly charged extracellular surface, and by slowing down the (1)H-(1)H cross-relaxation by perdeuterating the receptor. Here, we demonstrate this for two fatty acid molecules in interaction with the leukotriene BLT2 receptor, for which both ligands display a submicromolar affinity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / methods*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / agonists*
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / chemistry*
  • Receptors, Leukotriene B4 / agonists
  • Receptors, Leukotriene B4 / chemistry
  • Signal Transduction
  • Static Electricity*

Substances

  • LTB4R2 protein, human
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Receptors, Leukotriene B4