Structural basis for the ligand recognition and signaling of free fatty acid receptors

Tikhonova, I., Zhang, X., Guseinov, A.-A., Jenkins, L. , Li, K., Milligan, G. and Zhang, C. (2024) Structural basis for the ligand recognition and signaling of free fatty acid receptors. Science Advances, 10(2), eadj2384. (doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adj2384) (PMID:38198545)

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Abstract

Free fatty acid receptors 1 to 4 (FFA1 to FFA4) are class A G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). FFA1 to FFA3 share substantial sequence similarity, whereas FFA4 is unrelated. However, FFA1 and FFA4 are activated by long-chain fatty acids, while FFA2 and FFA3 respond to short-chain fatty acids generated by intestinal microbiota. FFA1, FFA2, and FFA4 are potential drug targets for metabolic and inflammatory conditions. Here, we determined the active structures of FFA1 and FFA4 bound to docosahexaenoic acid, FFA4 bound to the synthetic agonist TUG-891, and butyrate-bound FFA2, each complexed with an engineered heterotrimeric Gq protein (miniGq), by cryo–electron microscopy. Together with computational simulations and mutagenesis studies, we elucidated the similarities and differences in the binding modes of fatty acid ligands to their respective GPCRs. Our findings unveiled distinct mechanisms of receptor activation and G protein coupling. We anticipate that these outcomes will facilitate structure-based drug development and underpin future research on this group of GPCRs.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Funding: This work was supported by the NIH grant R35GM128641 to C.Z., the Medical Research Council (UK) grant MR/X010198/1 to G.M., and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK) grants BB/R001480/1 and BB/S000453/1 to G.M. and BB/R007101/1 to I.G.T. A.-A.G.’s PhD study is supported by the MSCA COFUND CITI-GENS Programme funded by the E.U. Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 945231). This project made use of computational time on Kelvin-2 supported by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (grant no. EP/T022175/1 and EP/W03204X/1) and ARCHER2 granted via the U.K. High-End Computing Consortium for Biomolecular Simulation, HECBioSim (www.hecbiosim.ac.uk), supported by EPSRC (grant no. EP/R029407/1 and EP/W03204X/1).
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Milligan, Professor Graeme and Jenkins, Mrs Laura
Creator Roles:
Jenkins, L.Methodology, Investigation, Visualization
Milligan, G.Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – review and editing
Authors: Tikhonova, I., Zhang, X., Guseinov, A.-A., Jenkins, L., Li, K., Milligan, G., and Zhang, C.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Molecular Biosciences
Journal Name:Science Advances
Publisher:American Association for the Advancement of Science
ISSN:2375-2548
ISSN (Online):2375-2548
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2024 the Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science
First Published:First published in Science Advances 10(2):eadj2384
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
318481MRC - Leicester May 2022Andrew TobinMedical Research Council (MRC)MR/X010198/1School of Molecular Biosciences
301470Defining signal selection from the free fatty acid receptor FFA4; implications forGraeme MilliganBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)BB/R001480/1School of Molecular Biosciences
302989Defining physiological and pathophysiological roles of the Free Fatty Acid Receptor 2 by analysis of novel transgenic mouse modelsGraeme MilliganBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)BB/S000453/1School of Molecular Biosciences