Specificity and dynamics in signaling of peptide activated GPCRs (C01)

• Subject Area: Biophysics ; Bioinformatics and Theoretical Biology ; Structural Biology
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 421152132

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) transduce a wide variety of different signals into the cell through the specific binding of downstream signaling proteins such as Gs, Gi, or arrestin. However, the structural basis for this signaling specificity is not well understood. Here we investigate the specificity of coupling of selected peptide receptors to Gs or Gi proteins using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We analyze the dynamics of peptide ligand binding to the extracellular side and determine how the signal is mechanistically transmitted to the intracellular G-protein/arrestin binding pocket.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1423: Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signaling
• Applicant Institution: Universität Leipzig
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Peter Hildebrand; Professor Dr. Peter Florian Stadler, until 12/2023