Summary Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone with essential roles in regulating insulin secretion, carbohydrate metabolism and appetite. GLP-1 effects are mediated through binding to GLP-1R, a family B G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling primarily through the stimulatory G protein Gs. Family B GPCRs are important therapeutic targets, however our understanding of their mechanism of action is limited by the lack of structural information on activated and full-length receptors. Here we show the electron cryo-microscopy structure of the peptide-activated GLP-1R:Gs complex at near atomic resolution. The peptide is clasped between the N-terminal domain and transmembrane core of the receptor, further stabilized by extracellular loops. Conformational changes in the transmembrane domain result in a sharp kink in the middle of transmembrane helix 6, which pivots its intracellular half outward to accommodate the α5 helix of GαsRas. These results provide a structural framework for understanding family B receptor activation through hormone binding.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors are Family C G protein coupled receptors that form obligate dimers and possess extracellular ligand binding Venus flytrap (VFT) domains, which are linked via cysteine rich domains (CRDs) to their 7-transmembrane (7TM) domain. Spectroscopic studies show that signaling is a dynamic process, with large scale conformational changes underlying the transmission of signal from the extracellular VFTs to the G protein-coupling domains (7TMs) in the membrane. Using a combination of x-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and signaling studies, we present a structural framework for the activation mechanism of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5. Our results show that agonist binding at the VFTs leads to a compaction of the intersubunit dimer interface, thereby bringing the CRDs into close proximity. Interactions between the CRDs and the second extracellular loops of the receptor enable the rigid body repositioning of the 7TM domains, which come into contact with each other to initiate signaling.

Summary Muscarinic M1–M5 acetylcholine receptors are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that regulate many vital functions of the central and peripheral nervous systems. In particular, the M1 and M4 receptor subtypes have emerged as attractive drug targets for treatments of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, but the high conservation of the acetylcholine-binding pocket has spurred current research into targeting allosteric sites on these receptors. Here, we report the first crystal structures of the M1 and M4 muscarinic receptors bound to the inverse agonist, tiotropium. Comparison of these structures to each other, as well as the previously reported M2 and M3 receptor structures, reveals differences in the orthosteric and allosteric binding sites that contribute to a role in drug selectivity at this important receptor family. We also report identification of a cluster of residues that form a network linking the orthosteric and allosteric sites of the M4 receptor, which provides new insight into how allosteric modulation may be transmitted between the two spatially distinct domains.

Human MRG15 is a transcription factor that plays a vital role in embryonic development, cell proliferation and cellular senescence. It comprises a putative chromo domain in the N-terminal part that has been shown to participate in chromatin remodeling and transcription regulation. We report here the crystal structure of human MRG15 chromo domain at 2.2 Å resolution. The MRG15 chromo domain consists of a β-barrel and a long α-helix and assumes a structure more similar to the Drosophila MOF chromo barrel domain than the typical HP1/Pc chromo domains. The β-barrel core contains a hydrophobic pocket formed by three conserved aromatic residues Tyr26, Tyr46 and Trp49 as a potential binding site for a modified residue of histone tail. However, the binding groove for the histone tail seen in the HP1/Pc chromo domains is pre-occupied by an extra β-strand. In vitro binding assay results indicate that the MRG15 chromo domain can bind to methylated Lys36, but not methylated Lys4, Lys9 and Lys27 of histone H3. These data together suggest that the MRG15 chromo domain may function as an adaptor module which can bind to a modified histone H3 in a mode different from that of the HP1/Pc chromo domains.