Summary: Structural studies of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) extensively use the insertion of globular soluble protein domains in order to facilitate their crystallization. However, when inserted in the third intracellular loop (i3 loop), the soluble protein domain disrupts their coupling to G proteins and impedes the GPCRs functional characterization by standard G protein-based assays. Therefore, activity tests of crystallization-optimized GPCRs are essentially limited to their ligand binding properties using radioligand binding assays. Functional characterization of additional thermostabilizing mutations requires the insertion of similar mutations in the wild-type receptor to allow G protein-activation tests. We demonstrate that Ion Channel-Coupled Receptor technology is a complementary approach for a comprehensive functional characterization of crystallization-optimized GPCRs and potentially of any engineered GPCR. Ligand-induced conformational changes of the GPCRs are translated into electrical signal and detected by simple current recordings, even though binding of G proteins is sterically blocked by the added soluble protein domain.

Biophysical techniques that enable the screening and identification of weak affinity fragments against a target protein are at the heart of Fragment Based Drug Design approaches. In the case of membrane proteins, the crucial criteria for fragment screening are low protein consumption, unbiased conformational states and rapidity because of the difficulties in obtaining sufficient amounts of stable and functionally folded proteins. Here we show for the first time that lipidnanodisc systems (membrane-mimicking environment) and ultra-miniaturized affinity chromatography can be combined to identify specific small molecule ligands that bind to an integral membrane protein. The approach is exemplified using the AA2AR GPCR. Home-made affinity nano-columns modified with nanodiscs-embedded AA2AR (only about 1 µg of protein per column) are fully characterized by frontal chromatographic experiments. This method allows (i) to distinguish specific and unspecific ligand/receptor interactions, (ii) to assess dissociation constants, (iii) to identify the binding pocket of uncharacterized ligands using a reference compound with competition experiments. Weak affinity ligands with Kd in the low to high micromolar range be detected. At last, the applicability of this method is demonstrated with 6 fragments recently identified as ligands or non-ligands of AA2AR.