Biology subjects

Meyerowitz, J. G.

Publications and source records attributed to Meyerowitz, J. G..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Structure Determination of Inactive-State GPCRs with a Universal Nanobody

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has widened the field of structure-based drug discovery by allowing for routine determination of membrane protein structures previously intractable. However, despite representing one of the largest classes of therapeutic targets, most inactive-state G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have remained inaccessible for cryo-EM because their small size and membrane-embedded nature impedes projection alignment for high-resolution map reconstructions. Here we demonstrate that the same single-chain camelid antibody (nanobody) recognizing a grafted intracellular loop can be used to obtain cryo-EM structures of different inactive-state GPCRs at resolutions comparable or better than those obtained by X-ray crystallography. Using this approach, we obtained the structure of human neurotensin 1 receptor (NTSR1) bound to antagonist SR48692, of {micro}-opioid receptor (MOR) bound to the clinical antagonist alvimopan, as well as the structures of the previously uncharacterized somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) in the apo state and histamine receptor 2 (H2R) bound to the H2 blocker famotidine. Each of these structures yields novel insights into ligand binding and specificity. We expect this rapid, straightforward approach to facilitate the broad structural exploration of GPCR inactive states without the need for extensive engineering and crystallization.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2021

Plasticity in Ligand Recognition at Somatostatin Receptors

Somatostatin is a signaling peptide that plays a pivotal and wide-ranging role in physiologic processes relating to metabolism and growth through its actions at somatostatin receptors (SSTRs). Members of the somatostatin receptor subfamily, particularly SSTR2, are key drug targets for neuroendocrine neoplasms, with several synthetic peptide agonists currently in clinical use. Here, we show the cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of active-state SSTR2 in complex with heterotrimeric Gi protein and either the endogenous ligand SST14 or the FDA-approved drug octreotide. Complemented by biochemical assays and molecular dynamics simulations, these structures reveal key details of ligand recognition, receptor activation, and subtype-selectivity at somatostatin receptors. We find that SSTR ligand recognition is highly diverse, as demonstrated by ligand-induced conformational changes in ECL2, substantial sequence divergence across subtypes in extracellular regions, and loss of ligand binding upon several structurally homologous substitutions between subtypes. Despite this complexity, we rationalize several previously described sources of SSTR subtype selectivity and identify an additional key interaction for SSTR2/3/5 specific binding. These results shed light on the basis of ligand recognition by somatostatin receptors and provide valuable insights for structure-based drug discovery at these targets.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2021

Integrated plasma proteomic and single-cell immune signaling network signatures demarcate mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19

The biological determinants of the wide spectrum of COVID-19 clinical manifestations are not fully understood. Here, over 1400 plasma proteins and 2600 single-cell immune features comprising cell phenotype, basal signaling activity, and signaling responses to inflammatory ligands were assessed in peripheral blood from patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19, at the time of diagnosis. Using an integrated computational approach to analyze the combined plasma and single-cell proteomic data, we identified and independently validated a multivariate model classifying COVID-19 severity (multi-class AUCtraining = 0.799, p-value = 4.2e-6; multi-class AUCvalidation = 0.773, p-value = 7.7e-6). Features of this high-dimensional model recapitulated recent COVID-19 related observations of immune perturbations, and revealed novel biological signatures of severity, including the mobilization of elements of the renin-angiotensin system and primary hemostasis, as well as dysregulation of JAK/STAT, MAPK/mTOR, and NF-{kappa}B immune signaling networks. These results provide a set of early determinants of COVID-19 severity that may point to therapeutic targets for the prevention of COVID-19 progression. SummaryFeyaerts et al. demonstrate that an integrated analysis of plasma and single-cell proteomics differentiates COVID-19 severity and reveals severity-specific biological signatures associated with the dysregulation of the JAK/STAT, MAPK/mTOR, and NF-{kappa}B immune signaling networks and the mobilization of the renin-angiotensin and hemostasis systems.

immunology↗