New Insights into the Structure and Function of Class B1 GPCRs

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell surface receptors. Class B1 GPCRs constitute a subfamily of 15 receptors that characteristically contain large extracellular domains (ECDs) and respond to long polypeptide hormones. Class B1 GPCRs are critical regulators of homeostasis, and, as such, many are important drug targets. While most transmembrane proteins, including GPCRs, are recalcitrant to crystallization, recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have facilitated a rapid expansion of the structural understanding of membrane proteins. As a testament to this success, structures for all the class B1 receptors bound to G proteins have been determined by cryo-EM in the past 5 years. Further advances in cryo-EM have uncovered dynamics of these receptors, ligands, and signaling partners. Here, we examine the recent structural underpinnings of the class B1 GPCRs with an emphasis on structure-function relationships.