• The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) commonly targeted for inhibition by anti-cancer therapeutics. (biorxiv.org)
  • The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a HER-family receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that is involved in cell signaling in healthy tissue. (biorxiv.org)
  • We propose that the resulting disruption of native TM interactions disrupts the conformation of the kinase domain, inhibiting EGFR's ability to send migratory cell signals. (biorxiv.org)
  • The complex pharmacology of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is defined by their multi-state conformational dynamics. (nature.com)
  • Applying these to G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), which are the single largest family of signaling receptors in human cells. (ucsf.edu)
  • A ) G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are transmembrane proteins (bottom) that can be regulated by orthosteric ligands (such as acetylcholine or iperoxo) and positive allosteric modulators (PAMs). (elifesciences.org)
  • A membrane receptor reagent and assay is disclosed in which liposomes are bound to an evanescent wave emitting surface. (google.com)
  • The SARS-CoV-2 genome encodes four major structural proteins: the spike (S) protein, nucleocapsid (N) protein, membrane (M) protein and the envelope (E) protein, each of which is essential to compose the viral particle 3 . (abcam.com)
  • Therefore, smFRET has been limited to studies of inter-receptor interactions in cellular membranes and receptors in detergent environments. (nature.com)
  • Effector proteins are then recruited to activate various cellular signaling pathways, including RAS/RAF/MEK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and JAK/STAT ( 1 ). (biorxiv.org)
  • Indeed, the increased transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 compared with SARS-CoV could potentially be explained by an increased number of cellular receptors allowing the virus to penetrate host cells. (abcam.com)
  • When the right molecule settles on these receptors, it opens the gated channels, letting ions flood from the outside to the inside of cells to trigger other cellular processes. (phys.org)
  • As an alternative to targeting the primary binding site on the receptor (also known as the orthosteric site) with a drug, it is sometimes possible to regulate a receptor by targeting a remote (or allosteric) site. (elifesciences.org)
  • Allosteric regulation of G protein-coupled receptors. (elifesciences.org)
  • Developing computational methods to relate receptors by the similarity of their ligands, rather than by protein sequence or structure. (ucsf.edu)
  • Since the new relationships are articulated by ligands, they may be directly tested both on isolated receptors and, increasingly, against model whole organisms, such as zebra fish, C. elegans and mice. (ucsf.edu)
  • They also showed that these effects were caused by an increase in the binding affinities of the orthosteric ligands, rather than by any modulation of signaling through the receptor ( Figure 1A ). (elifesciences.org)
  • Spike protein attaches to the receptor on the target cell, ACE2, and is the dominant target of the immune system. (cam.ac.uk)
  • SARS-CoV-2 S protein binds to the ACE2 receptor at the surface of host cells, initially through the S1 RBD. (abcam.com)
  • In addition to binding ACE2, increasing evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can also bind other surface proteins to gain cell entry. (abcam.com)
  • They find that only if the open form is a relatively low energy conformation can the molecule readily adopt the closed conformation with a hydrogen bond. (fieldofscience.com)
  • Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors respond to acetylcholine, a molecule that nerve cells use to communicate with each other. (phys.org)
  • G protein-coupled receptors are transmembrane proteins that help to regulate a wide array of biological processes, which makes them important drug targets. (elifesciences.org)
  • Specifically, the TM of unliganded (inactive) EGFR dimerizes at the C-terminus (C t ), while the ligand bound form dimerizes N-terminally (N t ), and the two helices are also rotated by 180° between the conformations ( 4 , 5 ). (biorxiv.org)
  • Knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of the carbo-hydrate molecules is indispensable for a full understanding of the molecular processes in which carbohydrates are involved, such as protein glycosylation or protein-carbohydrate interactions. (iucr.org)
  • This protein contains two subunits: the S1 subunit that contains the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and N-terminal domain (NTD), and a second S2 subunit that mediates the fusion of the viral and host cell membranes 4 . (abcam.com)
  • Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are members of a broader super-family of proteins called Cys-loop receptors that function as ion channels on cell surfaces and are found in the membranes of many cell types. (phys.org)
  • One cryoEM and over 50 high-resolution X-ray crystallographic structures are available for antagonist- or agonist-bound A 2A AR and for its ternary complex with an agonist and an engineered G protein, making this receptor an excellent model system for investigating GPCR structural dynamics. (nature.com)
  • The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is a valuable resource for three-dimensional structural information on glycoproteins and protein-carbohydrate complexes. (iucr.org)
  • John Briggs' group, in the LMB's Structural Studies Division, has led two new studies of the spike (S) protein that protrudes from the virus surface. (cam.ac.uk)
  • In a first couple of examples, I will show how distance and shape restraints from SANS have helped to improve the uniqueness of structural models for two multi-protein-RNA complexes, in combination with NMR restraints and building blocks from crystallography [1, 2]. (lu.se)
  • Structure of the Native Muscle-type Nicotinic Receptor and Inhibition by Snake Venom Toxins, Neuron (2020). (phys.org)
  • They plan to continue studying a7 in various cell types and how it interacts with other molecules and proteins. (phys.org)
  • Here, we performed smFRET experiments on functionally active human A 2A adenosine receptor (A 2A AR) molecules embedded in freely diffusing lipid nanodiscs to study their intramolecular conformational dynamics. (nature.com)
  • A complex interplay between structure, conformational dynamics and pharmacology defines distant regulation of G protein-coupled receptors. (elifesciences.org)
  • However, introducing mutations to make the genetic sequence in the human receptor more like that of the mouse receptor led to an increase in binding affinity. (elifesciences.org)
  • Within the trimeric S protein, only one of the three RBD heads is present in the accessible conformation to bind the human Angiotensin 2 (hACE2) host cell receptor 10 . (abcam.com)
  • Both Neuropilin-1 and Neuropilin-2 have been shown to bind the cleaved form of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein to mediate host cell entry 13, 14 . (abcam.com)
  • C ) The ability of VU154 to bind to the receptor varies from species to species and is higher in mice compared to humans. (elifesciences.org)
  • In response to ligand binding, different A 2A AR amino acids either alter their sole stable conformations or vary relative probabilities of coexisting stable conformations 16 , 17 . (nature.com)
  • A longstanding effort to do so is by exploiting protein structures to predict new reagents and therapeutic leads (structure-based ligand discovery). (ucsf.edu)
  • Broadly used in modern drug design, molecular docking methods explore the ligand conformations adopted within the binding sites of macromolecular targets. (mdpi.com)
  • This approach also estimates the ligand-receptor binding free energy by evaluating critical phenomena involved in the intermolecular recognition process. (mdpi.com)
  • Spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are known to exhibit open and closed conformations. (cam.ac.uk)
  • This has also been seen in purified SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, but the relevance of these different conformations in the context of an intact virus has been unknown. (cam.ac.uk)
  • Using electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) and electron cryo-tomography (cryo-ET), a team led by Zunlong Ke, Joaquin Oton, and Kun Qu in John's group, and with collaborators in Sjors Scheres' group and in Heidelberg University, determined the high-resolution structure of the spike protein directly on the surface of virus particles and describe its distribution. (cam.ac.uk)
  • They found that the receptor binding domain of the spike protein is present in both open and closed conformations, showing that our immune systems will encounter the protein in both of these forms. (cam.ac.uk)
  • The instability that allows the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to exist in different conformations might present a challenge for development of a successful vaccine against it. (cam.ac.uk)
  • A team led by Xiaoli Xiong and Kun Qu in John's group, along with collaborators at the University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Royal Papworth Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in China, and LMB Group Leaders Andrew Carter , Sjors Scheres, and Leo James , engineered a form of the spike protein that is trapped in the closed form. (cam.ac.uk)
  • By adding some disulphide bonds that hold the spike protein in its closed formation, the team produced a form of the protein that remains intact when heated to 60ºC or when stored at 4ºC in a fridge for at least a month. (cam.ac.uk)
  • Stabilising the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could be beneficial for vaccine development, as successful immunisation requires stable antigens. (cam.ac.uk)
  • Two members of John's group who led this research on the spike protein, Xiaoli Xiong and Zunlong Ke, describe why they ended up doing this work and what it was like working on these projects. (cam.ac.uk)
  • In general, immunobiologists have developed an integrated method for vaccine development based on analyzing protein sequences and structures of target viruses [ 10 ]. (biomedcentral.com)
  • Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) provides unique insight into biomacromolecular complexes by combining solvent contrast variation (H2O:D2O exchange) with either natural contrast between different classes of biomolecules (proteins, RNA/DNA, lipids/detergents) and/or by applying artificial contrast, i.e. deuteration of specific biomolecules. (lu.se)
  • However, only few protein structures have been currently resolved for the Iridoviridae family, none of which are associated with the outer capsid proteins. (biomedcentral.com)
  • The team says that these newly identified structures for a7 could eventually be used as a template for pharmaceutical companies to develop new medicines that target this and related nicotinic acetylcholine receptors . (phys.org)
  • The more we know about this important receptor found on so many diverse cell types, the closer we'll get to understanding how it functions in physiology and disease," says Hibbs, an Effie Marie Cain Scholar in Medical Research and member of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. (phys.org)
  • Furin cleavage at the S1/S2 site may lead to conformational changes in the viral S protein that exposes the RBD and/or the S2 domain. (abcam.com)
  • TMPRSS2 cleavage of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein is believed to enable the fusion of the viral capsid with the host cell to permit viral entry 5 , 6 . (abcam.com)
  • Some viruses possess an outer envelope, and the outer capsid is composed of major capsid protein (MCP), which appears to be highly conserved among the family and possesses surface binding sites interacting with the surfaces of host's cells [ 2 ]. (biomedcentral.com)
  • These receptors, which have been identified in nerve, lung, and immune cells, are connected to conditions such as mental illness, neurodegenerative diseases, lung cancers, and even the destructive immune reactions characteristic of COVID-19 and other infections. (phys.org)
  • These three phenomena indicate that receptors are highly dynamic molecules and sample several active and inactive states stochastically (for review, see refs. (nature.com)
  • 2 ms) exchange between the active-like and inactive-like conformations in both apo and antagonist-bound A 2A AR, explaining the receptor's constitutive activity. (nature.com)
  • After striking out for years to characterize the structure of a key nicotinic acetylcholine receptor called a7, Noviello and Hibbs got a major boost in 2016 after UTSW purchased equipment for cryogenic electron microscopy, or cryo-EM. (phys.org)
  • In the closed conformation the receptor binding site is hidden, whereas it is exposed in the open conformation. (cam.ac.uk)
  • The hydrogen bonding compounds can exist in closed (h-bonded) and open conformations. (fieldofscience.com)
  • This process is dependent upon activation of the S protein, by cleavage at two sites (S1/S2 and S2') via the proteases Furin and TMPRSS2. (abcam.com)