Download MendeleyStructural insights into mu-opioid receptor activation.
Huang, W., Manglik, A., Venkatakrishnan, A.J., Laeremans, T., Feinberg, E.N., Sanborn, A.L., Kato, H.E., Livingston, K.E., Thorsen, T.S., Kling, R.C., Granier, S., Gmeiner, P., Husbands, S.M., Traynor, J.R., Weis, W.I., Steyaert, J., Dror, R.O., Kobilka, B.K.(2015) Nature 524: 315-321
- PubMed: 26245379
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14886
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
5C1M - PubMed Abstract:
Activation of the μ-opioid receptor (μOR) is responsible for the efficacy of the most effective analgesics. To shed light on the structural basis for μOR activation, here we report a 2.1 Å X-ray crystal structure of the murine μOR bound to the morphinan agonist BU72 and a G protein mimetic camelid antibody fragment. The BU72-stabilized changes in the μOR binding pocket are subtle and differ from those observed for agonist-bound structures of the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) and the M2 muscarinic receptor. Comparison with active β2AR reveals a common rearrangement in the packing of three conserved amino acids in the core of the μOR, and molecular dynamics simulations illustrate how the ligand-binding pocket is conformationally linked to this conserved triad. Additionally, an extensive polar network between the ligand-binding pocket and the cytoplasmic domains appears to play a similar role in signal propagation for all three G-protein-coupled receptors.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 279 Campus Drive, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
