Structural insight into the molecular mechanism of cilofexor binding to the farnesoid X receptor.
Jiang, L., Liu, X., Wei, H., Dai, S., Qu, L., Chen, X., Guo, M., Chen, Y.(2022) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 595: 1-6
- PubMed: 35091108 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.01.069
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
7VUE - PubMed Abstract: 
Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a bile acid-related nuclear receptor and is considered a promising target to treat several liver disorders. Cilofexor is a selective FXR agonist and has already entered phase III trials in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) patients. Pruritis caused by cilofexor treatment is dose dependent. The binding characteristics of cilofexor with FXR and its pruritogenic mechanism remain unclear. In our research, the affinity of cilofexor bound to FXR was detected using an isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assay. The binding mechanism between cilofexor and FXR-LBD is explained by the cocrystal structure of the FXR/cilofexor complex. Structural models indicate the possibility that cilofexor activates Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X4 (MRGPRX4) or G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1 (GPBAR1), leading to pruritus. In summary, our analyses provide a molecular mechanism of cilofexor binding to FXR and provide a possible explanation for the dose-dependent pruritis of cilofexor.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Pathology, NHC Key Laboratory of Cancer Proteomics, State Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Anticancer Drugs, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China.