Crystal structure of dopamine receptor D4 bound to the subtype selective ligand, L745870.
Zhou, Y., Cao, C., He, L., Wang, X., Zhang, X.C.(2019) Elife 8
- PubMed: 31750832 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.48822
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6IQL - PubMed Abstract: 
Multiple subtypes of dopamine receptors within the GPCR superfamily regulate neurological processes through various downstream signaling pathways. A crucial question about the dopamine receptor family is what structural features determine the subtype-selectivity of potential drugs. Here, we report the 3.5-angstrom crystal structure of mouse dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) complexed with a subtype-selective antagonist, L745870. Our structure reveals a secondary binding pocket extended from the orthosteric ligand-binding pocket to a DRD4-specific crevice located between transmembrane helices 2 and 3. Additional mutagenesis studies suggest that the antagonist L745870 prevents DRD4 activation by blocking the relative movement between transmembrane helices 2 and 3. These results expand our knowledge of the molecular basis for the physiological functions of DRD4 and assist new drug design.
Organizational Affiliation: 
National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.