{"title":"Cholesterol interaction motifs in G protein-coupled receptors: Slippery hot spots?","authors":"Parijat Sarkar, Amitabha Chattopadhyay","doi":"10.1002/wsbm.1481","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are cell membrane associated signaling hubs that orchestrate a multitude of cellular functions upon binding to a diverse variety of extracellular ligands. Since GPCRs are integral membrane proteins with seven-transmembrane domain architecture, their function, organization and dynamics are intimately regulated by membrane lipids, such as cholesterol. Cholesterol is an extensively studied lipids in terms of its effects on GPCR structure and function. One of the possible mechanisms underlying modulation of GPCR function by cholesterol is via specific interaction of GPCRs with membrane cholesterol. These interactions of GPCRs with membrane cholesterol are often attributed to structural features of GPCRs that could facilitate their preferential association with cholesterol. In this backdrop, cholesterol interaction motifs represent putative interaction sites on GPCRs that could facilitate cholesterol-sensitive function of these receptors. In this review, we provide an overview of cholesterol interaction motifs found in GPCRs, which have been identified through a combination of crystallography, bioinformatics analysis, and functional studies. In addition, we will highlight, using specific examples, why mere presence of a cholesterol interaction motif at a given site may not directly implicate its role in interaction with membrane cholesterol. We therefore believe that experimental approaches, followed by functional analysis of cholesterol sensitivity of GPCRs, would provide a better understanding of the role played by these motifs in cholesterol-sensitive function. We envision that a comprehensive knowledge of cholesterol interaction sites in GPCRs would allow us to develop a better understanding of GPCR structure-function paradigm, and could be useful in future therapeutics. This article is categorized under: Models of Systems Properties and Processes > Mechanistic Models Analytical and Computational Methods > Computational Methods Laboratory Methods and Technologies > Macromolecular Interactions, Methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":49254,"journal":{"name":"Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Systems Biology and Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.9000,"publicationDate":"2020-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1002/wsbm.1481","citationCount":"37","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Systems Biology and Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wsbm.1481","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2020/2/7 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 37
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are cell membrane associated signaling hubs that orchestrate a multitude of cellular functions upon binding to a diverse variety of extracellular ligands. Since GPCRs are integral membrane proteins with seven-transmembrane domain architecture, their function, organization and dynamics are intimately regulated by membrane lipids, such as cholesterol. Cholesterol is an extensively studied lipids in terms of its effects on GPCR structure and function. One of the possible mechanisms underlying modulation of GPCR function by cholesterol is via specific interaction of GPCRs with membrane cholesterol. These interactions of GPCRs with membrane cholesterol are often attributed to structural features of GPCRs that could facilitate their preferential association with cholesterol. In this backdrop, cholesterol interaction motifs represent putative interaction sites on GPCRs that could facilitate cholesterol-sensitive function of these receptors. In this review, we provide an overview of cholesterol interaction motifs found in GPCRs, which have been identified through a combination of crystallography, bioinformatics analysis, and functional studies. In addition, we will highlight, using specific examples, why mere presence of a cholesterol interaction motif at a given site may not directly implicate its role in interaction with membrane cholesterol. We therefore believe that experimental approaches, followed by functional analysis of cholesterol sensitivity of GPCRs, would provide a better understanding of the role played by these motifs in cholesterol-sensitive function. We envision that a comprehensive knowledge of cholesterol interaction sites in GPCRs would allow us to develop a better understanding of GPCR structure-function paradigm, and could be useful in future therapeutics. This article is categorized under: Models of Systems Properties and Processes > Mechanistic Models Analytical and Computational Methods > Computational Methods Laboratory Methods and Technologies > Macromolecular Interactions, Methods.
期刊介绍:
Journal Name:Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Systems Biology and Medicine
Focus:
Strong interdisciplinary focus
Serves as an encyclopedic reference for systems biology research
Conceptual Framework:
Systems biology asserts the study of organisms as hierarchical systems or networks
Individual biological components interact in complex ways within these systems
Article Coverage:
Discusses biology, methods, and models
Spans systems from a few molecules to whole species
Topical Coverage:
Developmental Biology
Physiology
Biological Mechanisms
Models of Systems, Properties, and Processes
Laboratory Methods and Technologies
Translational, Genomic, and Systems Medicine