Vibrational resonance, allostery, and activation in rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptors.

ABSTRACT: G protein-coupled receptors are a large family of membrane proteins activated by a variety of structurally diverse ligands making them highly adaptable signaling molecules. Despite recent advances in the structural biology of this protein family, the mechanism by which ligands induce allosteric changes in protein structure and dynamics for its signaling function remains a mystery. Here, we propose the use of terahertz spectroscopy combined with molecular dynamics simulation and protein evolutionary network modeling to address the mechanism of activation by directly probing the concerted fluctuations of retinal ligand and transmembrane helices in rhodopsin. This approach allows us to examine the role of conformational heterogeneity in the selection and stabilization of specific signaling pa

SUBMITTER: Woods KN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5110974 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature