Ligand Binding-Induced Structural Changes in the M2 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Revealed by Vibrational Spectroscopy

J Phys Chem Lett. 2019 Nov 21;10(22):7270-7276. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b02942. Epub 2019 Nov 11.

Abstract

M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M2R) is a prototypical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that responds to acetylcholine and mediates various cellular responses in the nervous system. Here, we used attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses on M2R reconstituted in a lipid membrane to understand the molecular mechanism behind the ligand binding-induced conformational changes. Upon agonist binding, M2R shows large spectral change of the amide-I band corresponding to backbone C═O stretch, which likely connects with the receptor activation in the lipid environment. These results pave the way to probe effects of different ligand binding on GPCRs using vibrational spectroscopy.

MeSH terms

  • Binding Sites
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Protein Conformation
  • Receptor, Muscarinic M2 / chemistry*
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Receptor, Muscarinic M2