Sensing G protein-coupled receptor activation

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the key elements of a highly regulated transduction machinery that generates different signaling outcomes to hormones and neurotransmitters. Until recently, it was assumed that diverse ligands of a given GPCR differ only in their ability to alter the balance between the OFF and the ON state of the receptor. However, it has now become evident that their activation mechanisms are more complex and that receptors presumably display distinguishable active conformational states, which are induced by different agonists and correlate to specific signaling outputs. The use of different labeling strategies to insert fluorescent labels into purified, reconstituted receptors, or into receptors in intact cells, has made it possible to sense receptor activation via changes in their fluorescence. Here, we summarize recent progress in the analysis of agonist-dependent activation mechanisms of GPCRs acquired using modern spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques.