In multimeric cell-surface receptors, the conformational changes of the extracellular ligand-binding domains (ECDs) associated with receptor activation remain largely unknown. This is the case for the dimeric metabotropic glutamate receptors even though a number of ECD structures have been solved. Here, using an innovative approach based on cell-surface labeling and FRET, we demonstrate that a reorientation of the ECDs is associated with receptor and G-protein activation. Our approach helps identify partial agonists and highlights allosteric interactions between the effector and binding domains. Any approach expected to stabilize the active conformation of the effector domain increased the agonist potency in stabilizing the active ECDs conformation. These data provide key information on the structural dynamics and drug action at metabotropic glutamate receptors and validate an approach for tackling such analysis on other receptors.M any cell-surface receptors are multimers of proteins composed of several domains (1-3), including extracellular domains (ECDs) involved in endogenous ligand recognition and transmembrane domains (TMDs) responsible for intracellular signal transduction. Analysis of the conformational changes of the ECDs associated with receptor activation is crucial to understand the detailed mechanism involved in receptor activation and for the development of new innovative drugs. However, limited information is available on how the conformational changes in these proteins lead to receptor activation, especially in living cells.The eight glutamate-activated G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), called "metabotropic glutamate receptors" (mGluRs), are key examples of multidomain and multimeric receptors (Fig. 1A). These receptors are strict dimers (4-6), and each subunit is made of a large ECD associated with a seven-helix TMD responsible for G-protein activation and downstream signaling (7). The mGluRs are key elements involved in the regulation of synaptic activity (8), and therefore they represent promising targets in drug development for the treatment of multiple neurologic and psychiatric diseases (9). More generally, the mGluRs are part of the class C GPCR family that contains structurally related receptors such as the receptors for sweet and umami taste, calcium, basic amino acids, and the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (10, 11).Crystallographic studies of the isolated dimeric ECDs and mutagenesis analyses have provided a clear view of the structure of the dimeric ECD and of the initial steps of mGluR activation. The ECD is composed of a Venus flytrap (VFT) bilobate domain containing the agonist binding site (12-15) and a cysteine-rich domain (CRD) that connects the VFT to the TMD (16). The VFTs exist in two major states: an open state (o) in absence of ligand and stabilized by antagonists, and a closed state (c) stabilized by agonists and required for receptor activation (12-15). The VFT dimer is in equilibrium between various conformations, depending on whether one or two VFTs are open or cl...

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Efficient cell-to-cell communication relies on the accurate signalling of cell surface receptors. Understanding the molecular bases of their activation requires the characterization of the dynamic equilibrium between active and resting states. Here, we monitor, using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer, the kinetics of the reorientation of the extracellular ligand-binding domain of the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR), a class C G-protein-coupled receptor. We demonstrate that most receptors oscillate between a resting-and an active-conformation on a sub-millisecond timescale. Interestingly, we demonstrate that differences in agonist efficacies stem from differing abilities to shift the conformational equilibrium towards the fully active state, rather than from the stabilization of alternative static conformations, which further highlights the dynamic nature of mGluRs and revises our understanding of receptor activation and allosteric modulation.

Cell surface receptors represent a vast majority of drug targets. Efforts have been conducted to develop biosensors reporting their conformational changes in live cells for pharmacological and functional studies. Although Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) appears to be an ideal approach, its use is limited by the low signal-to-noise ratio. Here we report a toolbox composed of a combination of labeling technologies, specific fluorophores compatible with time-resolved FRET and a novel method to quantify signals. This approach enables the development of receptor biosensors with a large signal-to-noise ratio. We illustrate the usefulness of this toolbox through the development of biosensors for various G-protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases. These receptors include mGlu, GABA, LH, PTH, EGF and insulin receptors among others. These biosensors can be used for high-throughput studies and also revealed new information on the activation process of these receptors in their cellular environment.

the N-terminal region of Huntingtin (htt NT ) positioned just before the polyglutamine segment (Q N ) modulates its localization to the membrane-containing organelles of the cell and can, similarly to what is observed in other amyloid proteins, perturb the physical integrity of phospholipid bilayers. To date, however, the dynamics and equilibrium structures of htt NT oligomers on membranes as well as the influence of the Q N region on these remain poorly understood. With the help of all-atom explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations, we observe that the htt NT Q N monomer insertion in phospholipid bilayers occurs through four main steps and significantly increases the stability of the alphahelix conformation compared to in solution. We also observe that the Q N region provides, through electrostatic interactions with the phospholipids' head group, a stable scaffold to ease the insertion of htt NT 's non-polar residues. While the htt NT monomer conformation suggested from our simulations is in agreement with a recent NMR model, its orientation in the bilayer deviates by a few degrees, a difference that might be due to the formation of dimers during the experiment. Indeed, our simulations on the dynamics of htt NT dimerization, which occurs through electrostatic interactions, suggest that it affects the peptides' orientation depending on the dimer topology. Overall, these results reveal key features, at the atomic level, of htt NT Q N monomer and dimer interactions with phospholipid bilayer complementing previous experimental observations. 530-Pos Board B285