Study of interaction between agonists and asn293 in helix VI of human beta(2)-adrenergic receptor

Previously, we demonstrated the involvement of Asn293 in helix VI of the human beta(2)-adrenergic receptor in stereoselective agonist recognition and activation. In the present study, we have further explored the role of this residue by synthesizing derivatives of isoproterenol and clenbuterol, two beta-adrenergic receptor agonists. We analyzed their efficacy and affinity on the wild-type and a mutant receptor (Asn293Leu). Each compound had similar efficacy (tau values) on both the wild-type and mutant receptor, although tau values varied considerably among the eight compounds studied. It appeared that one derivative of isoproterenol, but not of clenbuterol, showed a gain in affinity from the wild type to the mutant receptor. This derivative had a methyl substituent instead of the usual beta-OH group in the aliphatic side chain of isoproterenol, compatible with the more lipophilic nature of the leucine side chain. Such a "gain of function" approach through a combination of synthetic chemistry with molecular biology, may be useful to enhance our insight into the precise atomic events that govern ligand-receptor interactions.