Cryo-Electron Microscopy: Moving Beyond X-Ray Crystal Structures for Drug Receptors and Drug Development

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier García-Nafría ◽  
Christopher G. Tate
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
G Protein ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Receptor Modulation ◽  
Lipid Environment ◽  
Drug Receptors

Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized structure determination of membrane proteins and holds great potential for structure-based drug discovery. Here we discuss the potential of cryo-EM in the rational design of therapeutics for membrane proteins compared to X-ray crystallography. We also detail recent progress in the field of drug receptors, focusing on cryo-EM of two protein families with established therapeutic value, the γ-aminobutyric acid A receptors (GABAARs) and G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). GABAARs are pentameric ion channels, and cryo-EM structures of physiological heteromeric receptors in a lipid environment have uncovered the molecular basis of receptor modulation by drugs such as diazepam. The structures of ten GPCR–G protein complexes from three different classes of GPCRs have now been determined by cryo-EM. These structures give detailed insights into molecular interactions with drugs, GPCR–G protein selectivity, how accessory membrane proteins alter receptor–ligand pharmacology, and the mechanism by which HIV uses GPCRs to enter host cells.

Three-dimensional crystallization of membrane proteins

1988 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Kühlbrandt
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Biological Macromolecules ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Membrane Protein Complexes ◽  
Essential Prerequisite

As recently as 10 years ago, the prospect of solving the structure of any membrane protein by X-ray crystallography seemed remote. Since then, the threedimensional (3-D) structures of two membrane protein complexes, the bacterial photosynthetic reaction centres of Rhodopseudomonas viridis (Deisenhofer et al. 1984, 1985) and of Rhodobacter sphaeroides (Allen et al. 1986, 1987 a, 6; Chang et al. 1986) have been determined at high resolution. This astonishing progress would not have been possible without the pioneering work of Michel and Garavito who first succeeded in growing 3-D crystals of the membrane proteins bacteriorhodopsin (Michel & Oesterhelt, 1980) and matrix porin (Garavito & Rosenbusch, 1980). X-ray crystallography is still the only routine method for determining the 3-D structures of biological macromolecules at high resolution and well-ordered 3-D crystals of sufficient size are the essential prerequisite.

scholarly journals Characterization of Aptamer-Protein Complexes by X-ray Crystallography and Alternative Approaches

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 10537-10552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent J. B. Ruigrok ◽  
Mark Levisson ◽  
Johan Hekelaar ◽  
Hauke Smidt ◽  
Bauke W. Dijkstra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Complexes ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Alternative Approaches

Examining the structure of the mature amyloid fibril

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 521-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. S. Makin ◽  
L. C. Serpell
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Amyloid Fibrils ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Fibre Diffraction ◽  
Complementary Techniques ◽  
Mature Fibril

The pathogenesis of the group of diseases known collectively as the amyloidoses is characterized by the deposition of insoluble amyloid fibrils. These are straight, unbranching structures about 70–120 å (1 å = 0.1 nm) in diameter and of indeterminate length formed by the self-assembly of a diverse group of normally soluble proteins. Knowledge of the structure of these fibrils is necessary for the understanding of their abnormal assembly and deposition, possibly leading to the rational design of therapeutic agents for their prevention or disaggregation. Structural elucidation is impeded by fibril insolubility and inability to crystallize, thus preventing the use of X-ray crystallography and solution NMR. CD, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and light scattering have been used in the study of the mechanism of fibril formation. This review concentrates on the structural information about the final, mature fibril and in particular the complementary techniques of cryo-electron microscopy, solid-state NMR and X-ray fibre diffraction.

A Solid-State NMR Approach to Structure Determination of Membrane-Associated Peptides and Proteins

1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Opella ◽  
L.E. Chirlian
Keyword(s):  
Nmr Spectroscopy ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Structural Biology ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Globular Proteins ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Form And Function

Structural biology relies on detailed descriptions of the three-dimensional structures of peptides, proteins, and other biopolymers to explain the form and function of biological systems ranging in complexity from individual molecules to entire organisms. NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, in combination with several types of calculations, provide the required structural information. In recent years, the structures of several hundred proteins have been determined by one or both of these experimental methods. However, since the protein molecules must either reorient rapidly in samples for multidimensional solution NMR spectroscopy or form high quality single crystals in samples for X-ray crystallography, nearly all of the structures determined up to now have been of the soluble, globular proteins that are found in the cytoplasm and periplasmof cells and fortuitously have these favorable properties. Since only a minority of biological properties are expressed by globular proteins, and proteins, in general, have evolved in order to express specific functions rather than act as samples for experimental studies, there are other classes of proteins whose structures are currently unknown but are of keen interest in structural biology. More than half of all proteins appear to be associated with membranes, and many cellular functions are expressed by proteins in other types of supramolecular complexes with nucleic acids, carbohydrates, or other proteins. The interest in the structures of membrane proteins, structural proteins, and proteins in complexes provides many opportunities for the further development and application of NMR spectroscopy. Our understanding of polypeptides associated with lipids in membranes, in particular, is primitive, especially compared to that for globular proteins. This is largely a consequence of the experimental difficulties encountered in their study by conventional NMR and X-ray approaches. Fortunately, the principal features of two major classes of membrane proteins have been identified from studies of several tractable examples. Bacteriorhodopsin (Henderson et al., 1990), the subunits of the photosynthetic reaction center (Deisenhofer et al., 1985), and filamentous bacteriophage coat proteins (Shon et al., 1991; McDonnell et al., 1993) have all been shown to have long transmembrane hydrophobic helices, shorter amphipathic bridging helices in the plane of the bilayers, both structured and mobile loops connecting the helices, and mobile N- and C-terminal regions.

scholarly journals Topography Prediction of Helical Transmembrane Proteins by a New Modification of the Sliding Window Method

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria N. Simakova ◽  
Nikolai N. Simakov
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Domain Boundary ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Transmembrane Proteins ◽  
Sliding Window ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Window Method

Protein functions are specified by its three-dimensional structure, which is usually obtained by X-ray crystallography. Due to difficulty of handling membrane proteins experimentally to date the structure has only been determined for a very limited part of membrane proteins (<4%). Nevertheless, investigation of structure and functions of membrane proteins is important for medicine and pharmacology and, therefore, is of significant interest. Methods of computer modeling based on the data on the primary protein structure or the symbolic amino acid sequence have become an actual alternative to the experimental method of X-ray crystallography for investigating the structure of membrane proteins. Here we presented the results of the study of 35 transmembrane proteins, mainly GPCRs, using the novel method of cascade averaging of hydrophobicity function within the limits of a sliding window. The proposed method allowed revealing 139 transmembrane domains out of 140 (or 99.3%) identified by other methods. Also 236 transmembrane domain boundary positions out of 280 (or 84%) were predicted correctly by the proposed method with deviation from the predictions made by other methods that does not exceed the detection error of this method.

Probing the interface between membrane proteins and membrane lipids by X-ray crystallography

2001 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul K Fyfe ◽  
Katherine E McAuley ◽  
Aleksander W Roszak ◽  
Neil W Isaacs ◽  
Richard J Cogdell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Lipids ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography

Huprine Derivatives as Sub-Nanomolar Human Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors: From Rational Design to Validation by X-ray Crystallography

ChemMedChem ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 400-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril Ronco ◽  
Eugénie Carletti ◽  
Jacques-Philippe Colletier ◽  
Martin Weik ◽  
Florian Nachon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rational Design ◽  
Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography

scholarly journals Adenosine receptors (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertil B. Fredholm ◽  
Bruno G. Frenguelli ◽  
Rebecca Hills ◽  
Adriaan P. IJzerman ◽  
Kenneth A. Jacobson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structures ◽  
G Protein ◽  
Adenosine Receptors ◽  
Endogenous Ligand ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
A2a Adenosine Receptors ◽  
A1 Receptor

Adenosine receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Adenosine Receptors [103]) are activated by the endogenous ligand adenosine (potentially inosine also at A3 receptors). Crystal structures for the antagonist-bound [146, 305, 213, 55], agonist-bound [362, 196, 198] and G protein-bound A2A adenosine receptors [43] have been described. The structures of an antagonist-bound A1 receptor [123] and an adenosine-bound A1 receptor-Gi complex [80] have been resolved by cryo-electronmicroscopy. Another structure of an antagonist-bound A1 receptor obtained with X-ray crystallography has also been reported [51].

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