Early Events in β₂AR Dimer Dynamics Mediated by Activation-Related Microswitches

G-Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) make up around 3-4% of the human genome and are the targets of one-third of FDA-approved drugs. GPCRs typically exist as monomers but also aggregate to form higher-order oligomers, including dimers. β₂AR, a pharmacologically relevant GPCR, is known to be targeted for the treatment of asthma and cardiovascular diseases. The activation of β₂AR at the dimer level remains under-explored. In the current study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to understand activation-related structural changes in β₂AR at the dimer level. The transition from inactive to active and vice versa has been studied by starting the simulations in the apo, agonist-bound, and inverse agonist-bound β₂AR dimers for PDB ID: 2RH1 and PDB ID: 3P0G, respectively. A cumulative total of around 21-μs simulations were performed. Residue-based distances, RMSD, and PCA calculations suggested that either of the one monomer attained activation-related features for the apo and agonist-bound β₂AR dimers. The TM5 and TM6 helices within the two monomers were observed to be in significant variation in all the simulations. TM5 bulge and proximity of TM2 and TM7 helices may be contributing to one of the early events in activation. The dimeric interface between TM1 and helix 8 were observed to be well maintained in the apo and agonist-bound simulations. The presence of inverse agonists favored inactive features in both the monomers. These key features of activation known for monomers were observed to have an impact on β₂AR dimers, thereby providing an insight into the oligomerization mechanism of GPCRs.