Seminar by Dr. Xiaojing Cong

Institut de Gènomique Fonctionnellem, Montpellier (France)

Structural biology and molecular simulations of 7-transmembrane proteins (not necessarily GPCRs)

GPCRs are the largest and most diverse family of membrane receptors in the human genome, and the most heavily investigated drug target proteins. In 2011, a superfamily of non-GPCR 7-transmembrane proteins was discovered and named "CREST"—alkaline ceramidases, PAQR receptors, Per1, SID-1 and TMEM8—most of which are metal-dependent hydrolases. CRESTs are functionally distinct from GPCRs and hold great therapeutic potentials. Our group (https://granier-mouillac-lab.igf.cnrs.fr) combine structural biology and molecular modeling to study the conformational diversity underlying the functional mechanisms of GCPRs and CRESTs. I will present our recent findings in GPCR ligand bias, activation dynamics, multi-domain cooperation and “GPCR-like” behaviors of CRESTs.