title: Structure and function analyses of the purified GPCR human vomeronasal type 1 receptor 1.
abstract: The vomeronasal system is one of several fine-tuned scent-detecting signaling systems in mammals. However, despite significant efforts, how these receptors detect scent remains an enigma. One reason is the lack of sufficient purified receptors to perform detailed biochemical, biophysical and structural analyses. Here we report the ability to express and purify milligrams of purified, functional human vomeronasal receptor hVN1R1. Circular dichroism showed that purified hVN1R1 had an alpha-helical structure, similar to that of other GPCRs. Microscale thermophoresis showed that hVN1R1 bound its known ligand myrtenal with an EC(50) approximately 1 µM. This expression system can enable structural and functional analyses towards understanding how mammalian scent detection works.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Engineering, NE47-379, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Corin
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baaske
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geissler
authors.forename: Christoph J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Wienken
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duhr
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Shuguang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D003902:Detergents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012903:Smell
chemical_list: D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D003902:Detergents; D008024:Ligands; C414724:VN1R1 protein, human