Functionally selective ligands stabilize conformations of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that induce a preference for signaling via a subset of the intracellular pathways activated by the endogenous agonists. The possibility to fine-tune the functional activity of a receptor provides opportunities to develop drugs that selectively signal via pathways associated with a therapeutic effect and avoid those causing side effects. Animal studies have indicated that ligands displaying functional selectivity at the D dopamine receptor (DR) could be safer and more efficacious drugs against neuropsychiatric diseases. In this work, computational design of functionally selective DR ligands was explored using structure-based virtual screening. Molecular docking of known functionally selective ligands to a DR homology model indicated that such compounds were anchored by interactions with the orthosteric site and extended into a common secondary pocket. A tailored virtual library with close to 13 000 compounds bearing 2,3-dichlorophenylpiperazine, a privileged orthosteric scaffold, connected to diverse chemical moieties via a linker was docked to the DR model. Eighteen top-ranked compounds that occupied both the orthosteric and allosteric site were synthesized, leading to the discovery of 16 partial agonists. A majority of the ligands had comparable maximum effects in the G protein and β-arrestin recruitment assays, but a subset displayed preference for a single pathway. In particular, compound 4 stimulated β-arrestin recruitment (EC = 320 nM, E = 16%) but had no detectable G protein signaling. The use of structure-based screening and virtual libraries to discover GPCR ligands with tailored functional properties will be discussed.

Proper determination of agonist efficacy is essential in the assessment of agonist selectivity and signalling bias. Agonist efficacy is a relative term that is dependent on the system in which it is measured, especially being dependent on receptor expression level. The operational model (OM) of functional receptor agonism is a useful means for the determination of agonist functional efficacy using the maximal response to agonist and ratio of agonist functional potency to its equilibrium dissociation constant (KA) at the active state of the receptor. However, the functional efficacy parameter τ is inter-dependent on two other parameters of OM; agonist’s KA and the highest response that could be evoked in the system by any stimulus (EMAX). Thus, fitting of OM to functional response data is a tricky process. In this work we analyse pitfalls of fitting OM to experimental data and propose a rigorous fitting procedure where KA and EMAX are derived from half-efficient concentration of agonist and apparent maximal responses obtained from a series of functional response curves. Subsequently, OM with fixed KA and EMAX is fitted to functional response data to obtain τ. The procedure was verified at M2 and M4 muscarinic receptors fused with the G15 G-protein α-subunit. The procedure, however, is applicable to any receptor-effector system.

Proper determination of agonist efficacy is indispensable in the evaluation of agonist selectivity and bias to activation of specific signalling pathways. The operational model (OM) of pharmacological agonism is a useful means for achieving this goal. Allosteric ligands bind to receptors at sites that are distinct from those of endogenous agonists that interact with the orthosteric domain on the receptor. An allosteric modulator and an orthosteric agonist bind simultaneously to the receptor to form a ternary complex, where the allosteric modulator affects the binding affinity and operational efficacy of the agonist. Allosteric modulators are an intensively studied group of receptor ligands because of their selectivity and preservation of physiological space-time pattern of the signals they modulate. We analysed the operational model of allosterically-modulated agonism (OMAM) including modulation by allosteric agonists. Similar to OM, several parameters of OMAM are interdependent. We derived equations describing mutual relationships among parameters of the functional response and OMAM. We present a workflow for the robust fitting of OMAM to experimental data using derived equations. Monod et al. 1 originally introduced the concept of allosterism. Since then the concept of allosterism extended to many various fields of research spanning from DNA expression via metabolism to ion channels and G-protein coupled receptors 2, 3. Allosteric ligands bind to a site that is distinct from the orthosteric site on a receptor. An orthosteric and allosteric ligand can bind to the receptor concurrently and form a ternary complex where they reciprocally modulate the binding affinity of each other. Moreover, the binding of an allosteric modulator may also affect the efficacy of an orthosteric agonist in eliciting a functional response. As allosteric binding sites need not accommodate natural agonist they are subject to less evolutionary pressure. This leads to a less-conserved structure of an allosteric binding site 4. The evolutionary adaptation mechanisms may even help maintain, optimize or regulate allosteric behaviour of signalling macromolecules 5. Thus, higher binding selectivity can be achieved for allosteric than orthosteric ligands. Even if an allosteric site is conserved, selectivity can be achieved via optimization of cooperativity with the orthosteric ligand 6. An additional advantage of allosteric modulators is the conservation of the space-time pattern of signalling, as their action is restricted to modulation of signalling mediated by the intermittent quantum release of a neurotransmitter and where receptors responsive to the neurotransmitter are expressed 7. These special characteristics of allosteric receptor modulators have stimulated intensive studies towards their application in therapy of a variety of disorders 8-10. However, the nature of allostery makes the task challenging 11,12. In pharmacological terms, efficacy is the ability of an agonist to induce a maximal functional response in a cell, tissue or organ...

Methoctramine (N,-methyl]hexyl]-1,8-octane] diamine) is an M 2 -selective competitive antagonist of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and exhibits allosteric properties at high concentrations. To reveal the molecular mechanisms of methoctramine binding and selectivity we took advantage of reciprocal mutations of the M 2 and M 3 receptors in the second and third extracellular loops that are involved in the binding of allosteric ligands. To this end we performed measurements of kinetics of the radiolabeled antagonists N-methylscopolamine (NMS) in the presence of methoctramine and its precursors, fluorescence energy transfer between green fluorescent protein-fused receptors and an Alexa-555-conjugated precursor of methoctramine, and simulation of molecular dynamics of methoctramine association with the receptor. We confirm the hypothesis that methoctramine high-affinity binding to the M 2 receptors involves simultaneous interaction with both the orthosteric binding site and the allosteric binding site located between the second and third extracellular loops. Methoctramine can bind solely with low affinity to the allosteric binding site on the extracellular domain of NMSoccupied M 2 receptors by interacting primarily with glutamate 175 in the second extracellular loop. In this mode, methoctramine physically prevents dissociation of NMS from the orthosteric binding site. Our results also demonstrate that lysine 523 in the third extracellular loop of the M 3 receptors forms a hydrogen bond with glutamate 219 of the second extracellular loop that hinders methoctramine binding to the allosteric site at this receptor subtype. Impaired interaction with the allosteric binding site manifests as low-affinity binding of methoctramine at the M 3 receptor.