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Monitoring GPCR-β-arrestin1/2 Interactions in Real Time Living Systems to Accelerate Drug Discovery
Published on: June 28, 2019
Structure-guided development of G protein-biased apelin receptor agonists for cardiovascular disease
Weiwei Wang1,2, Jiangrong Zhang1, Jiahua Zhang1
1Department of Pathology and Department of Pharmacology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, and Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Abstract:
Apelin receptor (APLNR) is a crucial G protein-coupled receptor that plays a central role in cardiovascular homeostasis; therefore, it represents a promising therapeutic target for heart failure, myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, the activation of APLNR simultaneously engages inhibitory G protein (Gi)-mediated protective signaling and β-arrestin pathways that are associated with pathological cardiac remodeling, thereby imposing significant limitations and challenges for the therapeutic development of conventional balanced agonists. Recent advances in structural biology and pharmacology have provided valuable mechanistic insights into receptor activation and biased signaling. High-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures revealed the conformational basis of signal bias, enabling the rational design of fully G protein-biased agonists that retain cardiovascular benefits while avoiding hypertrophic effects. This review summarizes recent progress in APLNR signaling mechanisms and biased ligand development, highlighting a number of emerging strategies for the precision pharmacological targeting of this receptor.
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