The eight metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are key modulators of synaptic transmission and are considered promising targets for the treatment of various brain disorders. Whereas glutamate acts at a large extracellular domain, allosteric modulators have been identified that bind to the seven transmembrane domain (7TM) of these dimeric G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). We show here that the dimeric organization of mGluRs is required for the modulation of active and inactive states of the 7TM by agonists, but is not necessary for G-protein activation. Monomeric mGlu2, either as an isolated 7TM or in full-length, purified and reconstituted into nanodiscs, couples to G proteins upon direct activation by a positive allosteric modulator. However, only a reconstituted full-length dimeric mGlu2 activates G protein upon glutamate binding, suggesting that dimerization is required for glutamate induced activation. These data show that, even for such well characterized GPCR dimers like mGluR2, a single 7TM is sufficient for G-protein coupling. Despite this observation, the necessity of dimeric architecture for signaling induced by the endogenous ligand glutamate confirms that the central core of signaling complex is dimeric.M etabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) play key roles in the modulation of both excitatory and inhibitory synapses in the brain. These eight G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent major targets for pharmaceutical companies in search of new treatments for a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders (1-3). These receptors are part of the class C GPCR family that also includes the GABA B , calcium sensing, and sweet and umami taste receptors, which are all major targets for drug development (4).The structural complexity of class C GPCRs, compared with rhodopsin-like class A GPCRs, offers multiple possibilities in designing molecules that modulate their activity. Not only are mGluRs strict constitutive dimers (5, 6), but each protomer is composed of several domains (7,8). Agonists bind in a bilobate venus fly-trap domain (VFT) (9), which is linked through a cysteine-rich domain (CRD) to the heptahelical transmembrane domain (7TM) that is responsible for G-protein activation (7). The 7TM is the target of a number of synthetic compounds acting either as negative or positive allosteric modulators (NAMs and PAMs, respectively). Given their ability to finely tune endogenous signaling, such compounds present exciting opportunities for drug development (10).The functional mechanism of such a complex machine remains to be characterized, although some critical steps have been well documented. Previous studies have shown that receptor activation results from the closure of the VFT upon agonist binding (9,(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). This conformational change in the extracellular domain is coupled to a conformational change in the intracellular side of at least one 7TM that is responsible for G-protein coupling (16)(17)(18)(19). The mechanism for allosteric communication between the VFT and 7TM ...

Antibodies have enormous therapeutic and biotechnology potential. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the main targets in drug development, are of major interest in antibody development programs. Metabotropic glutamate receptors are dimeric GPCRs that can control synaptic activity in a multitude of ways. Here we identify llama nanobodies that specifically recognize mGlu2 receptors, among the eight subtypes of mGluR subunits. Among these nanobodies, DN10 and 13 are positive allosteric modulators (PAM) on homodimeric mGlu2, while DN10 displays also a significant partial agonist activity. DN10 and DN13 have no effect on mGlu2-3 and mGlu2-4 heterodimers. These PAMs enhance the inhibitory action of the orthosteric mGlu2/mGlu3 agonist, DCG-IV, at mossy fiber terminals in the CA3 region of hippocampal slices. DN13 also impairs contextual fear memory when injected in the CA3 region of hippocampal region. These data highlight the potential of developing antibodies with allosteric actions on GPCRs to better define their roles in vivo.