title: Modulating G-protein coupled receptor/G-protein signal transduction by small molecules suggested by virtual screening.
abstract: Modulation of interactions between activated GPCRs (G-protein coupled receptors) and the intracellular (IC) signal transducers, heterotrimeric G-proteins, is an attractive, yet essentially unexplored, paradigm for treatment of certain diseases. Regulating downstream signaling for treatment of congenital diseases due to constitutively active GPCRs, as well as tumors where GPCRs are often overexpressed, requires the development of new methodologies. Modeling, experimental data, docking, scoring, and experimental testing (MEDSET) was developed to discover inhibitors that target the IC loops of activated GPCRs. As proof-of-concept, MEDSET developed and utilized a model of the interface between photoactivated rhodopsin (R*) and transducin (Gt), its G-protein. A National Cancer Institute (NCI) compound library was screened to identify compounds that bound at the interface between R* and its G-protein. High-scoring compounds from this virtual screen were obtained and tested experimentally for their ability to stabilize R* and prevent Gt from binding to R*. Several compounds that modulate signal transduction have been identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Yaniv
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Barda
authors.forename: Oleg G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Kisselev
authors.forename: Garland R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D015195:Drug Design; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012243:Rhodopsin; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D015293:Transducin
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D012243:Rhodopsin; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D015293:Transducin