Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 15, 2026

Mutagenesis and Functional Analysis of Ion Channels Heterologously Expressed in Mammalian Cells
Published on: October 1, 2010
Modelling and mutation studies on the histamine H1-receptor agonist binding site reveal different binding modes for
A M ter Laak1, H Timmerman, R Leurs
1Leiden/Amsterdam Center for Drug Research, Faculty of Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
A modelling study has been carried out, investigating the binding of histamine (Hist), 2-methylhistamine (2-MeHist) and 2-phenylhistamine (2-PhHist) at two postulated agonistic binding sites on transmembrane domain 5 (TM5) of the histamine H1-receptor. For this purpose a conformational analysis study was performed on three particular residues of TM5, i.e., Lys200, Thr203 and Asn207, for which a functional role in binding has been proposed. The most favourable results were obtained for the interaction between Hist and the Lys200/Asn207 pair. Therefore, Lys200 was subsequently mutated and converted to an alanine, resulting in a 50-fold decrease of H1-receptor stimulation by histamine. Altogether, the data suggest that the Lys200/Asn207 pair is important for activation of the H1-receptor by histamine. In contrast, analogues of 2-PhHist seem to belong to a distinct subclass of histamine agonists and an alternative mode of binding is proposed in which the 2-phenyl ring binds to the same receptor location as one of the aromatic rings of classical histamine H1-antagonists. Subsequently, the binding modes of the agonists Hist, 2-MeHist and 2-PhHist and the H1-antagonist cyproheptadine were evaluated in three different seven-alpha-helical models of the H1-receptor built in homology with bacteriorhodopsin, but using three different alignments. Our findings suggest that the position of the carboxylate group of Asp116 (TM3) within the receptor pocket depends on whether an agonist or an antagonist binds to the protein; a conformational change of this aspartate residue upon agonist binding is expected to play an essential role in receptor stimulation.
Related Concept Videos
Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
Ligand Binding and Linkage
Allosteric Proteins-ATCase
Aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the condensation of L-aspartate and carbamoyl phosphate to N-carbamoyl-L-aspartate. This reaction is the first step in pyrimidine biosynthesis. UTP and CTP, the end products of the pyrimidine synthesis pathway,...
Drug-Receptor Interaction: Agonist
Agonists can bind to receptors in different ways. Some agonists bind directly to the receptor's active site, mimicking the endogenous ligand's action.
The Two-State Receptor Model
The binding affinity of a drug determines its interaction with one...
Adrenergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
Aromatic ring substitutions: Substituting the aromatic ring with –OH groups at positions 3 and 4 yields catecholamines (e.g., epinephrine), which have a high affinity for adrenoceptors. Hydrogen bonding between –OH groups and receptors enhances adrenergic activity.
Separation of the aromatic...

