How Do Branched Detergents Stabilize GPCRs in Micelles?

The structural and functional properties of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are often studied in a detergent micellar environment, but many GPCRs tend to denature or aggregate in short alkyl chain detergents. In our previous work [Lee, S., et al. (2016) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 138, 15425-15433], we showed that GPCRs in alkyl glucosides were highly dynamic, resulting in the penetration of detergent molecules between transmembrane α-helices, which is the initial step in receptor denaturation. Although this was not observed for GPCRs in dodecyl maltoside (DDM, also known as lauryl maltoside), even this detergent is not mild enough to preserve the integrity of many GPCRs during purification. Lauryl maltose neopentylglycol (LMNG) detergents have been found to have significant advantages for purifying GPCRs in a native state as they impart more stability to the receptor than DDM. To gain insights into how they stabilize GPCRs, we used atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of wild type adenosine A_2A receptor (WT-A_2AR), thermostabilized A_2AR (tA_2AR), and wild type β₂-adrenoceptor (β₂AR) in a variety of detergents (LMNG, DMNG, OGNG, and DDM). Analysis of molecular dynamics simulations of tA_2AR in LMNG, DMNG, and OGNG showed that this series of detergents exhibited behavior very similar to that of an analogous series of detergents DDM, DM, and OG in our previous study. However, there was a striking difference upon comparison of the behavior of LMNG to that of DDM. LMNG showed considerably less motion than DDM, which resulted in the enhanced density of the aliphatic chains around the hydrophobic regions of the receptor and considerably more hydrogen bond formation between the head groups. This contributed to enhanced interaction energies between both detergent molecules and between the receptor and detergent, explaining the enhanced stability of GPCRs purified in this detergent. Branched detergents occlude between transmembrane helices and reduce their flexibility. Our results provide a rational foundation to develop detergent variants for stabilizing membrane proteins.