The role of protein dynamics in GPCR function: insights from the β2AR and rhodopsin

We recently published “The role of protein dynamics in GPCR function: insights from the β₂AR and rhodopsin” in Current Opinion in Cell Biology.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are versatile signaling proteins that mediate complex cellular responses to hormones and neurotransmitters. Recent advances in GPCR crystallography have provided inactive and active state structures for rhodopsin and the β₂ adrenergic receptor (β₂AR). Although these structures suggest a two-state ‘on-off’ mechanism of receptor activation, other biophysical studies and observed signaling versatility suggest that GPCRs are highly dynamic and exist in a multitude of functionally distinct conformations. To fully understand how GPCRs work, we must characterize these conformations and determine how ligands affect their energetics and rates of interconversion. This brief review will compare and contrast the dynamic properties of rhodopsin and β₂AR that shed light on the role of structural dynamics in their distinct signaling behaviors.