📰 GPCR Weekly News, December 18 to 31, 2023

Warm greetings and a resounding welcome back to our GPCR Weekly Newsletter, rejuvenated after the festive season! We’ve curated 23 GPCR papers, four industry news, and 3 GPCR job posts!

This week's highlight:

• Drs. Franziska M Heydenreich, Michel Bouvier, Brian Kobilka, M Madan Babu, and their team's work on Molecular determinants of ligand efficacy and potency in GPCR signaling

Save the date:

February 8 - 29: Join Dr. GPCR University's live Zoom sessions hosted by Dr. Terry Kenakin. The course covers basic pharmacology in four weekly segments. Only 12 out of 20 spots remain. Registrations are open to Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Members! The cost is $299 and includes:

• All 4 live Zoom sessions ( 4x 1 hour lecture + 30 mins Q&A)

• Complimentary one-year Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Premium memberships

• 30-minute one-on-one meeting with Dr. Kenakin, according to his availability

• Access to the cohort’s Dr. GPCR Ecosystem group, where you can find Dr. Kenakin and your classmates

• Access to the course materials and recordings once the course is completed

• Course completion certificate signed by Dr. Kenakin and Dr. GPCR

• Access to Dr. GPCR Ecosystem contents and perks, including our forums, private groups, and all Ecosystem members

Go to Dr. GPCR University and save your spot today! 

Let’s dive into the Classified GPCR News from December 18th to 31st, 2023.

Adhesion GPCRs

• Latrophilin, an adhesion GPCR with galactose-binding lectin domain involved in the innate immune response of Tribolium castaneum

GPCR Activation and Signaling

• Palmitoylation of the Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Modulates Cholesterol Interactions at the Receptor-Lipid Microenvironment

• Basal interaction of the orphan receptor GPR101 with arrestins leads to constitutive internalization

• Identification of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) Associated with Lambda-Cyhalothrin Detoxification in Cydia pomonella

• Molecular determinants of ligand efficacy and potency in GPCR signaling

• Activation and characterization of G protein-coupled receptors for CHHs in the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain

• Reshaping the yeast galactose regulon via GPCR signaling cascade

GPCR Binders, Drugs, and more

• Biased agonists of GPR84 and insights into biological control

• Larixol is not an inhibitor of Gαi containing G proteins and lacks effect on signaling mediated by human neutrophil expressed formyl peptide receptors

GPCRs in Cardiology, Endocrinology, and Taste

• Beta cell primary cilia mediate somatostatin responsiveness via SSTR3

• Inhibition of a novel Dickkopf-1-LDL receptor-related proteins 5 and 6 axis prevents diabetic cardiomyopathy in mice

GPCRs in Neuroscience

• Coexistence within one cell of microvillous and ciliary phototransductions across M1- through M6-IpRGCs

• Synaptic plasticity via receptor tyrosine kinase/G-protein-coupled receptor crosstalk

• Optimized design and in vivo application of optogenetically functionalized Drosophila dopamine receptors

• Targeting CB2R in astrocytes for Parkinson's disease therapy: unraveling the Foxg1-mediated neuroprotective mechanism through autophagy-mediated NLRP3 degradation

Methods & Updates in GPCR Research

• Direct Binding Methods to Measure Receptor-Ligand Interactions

• How accurately can one predict drug binding modes using AlphaFold models?

• Dissecting the genetic landscape of GPCR signaling through phenotypic profiling in C. elegans

Reviews, GPCRs, and more

• Classifying tetraspanins: A universal system for numbering residues and a proposal for naming structural motifs and subfamilies

• Comparative genomic analysis of chemosensory-related gene families in gastropods

• Unraveling the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily in aphids: Contractions and duplications linked to phloem feeding

Structural and Molecular Insights into GPCR Function

• Studying allosteric regulation of chemokines and antagonists using a nanoscale hCCR3 receptor sensor

• GPCR-G protein selectivity revealed by structural pharmacology

Industry News

• The Adrenaline Puzzle Solved: Scientists Untangle Key Cell Receptor's Inner Workings

• Sosei Heptares to Present at 42nd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference 

• Andrew Hopkins appointed CBE by HM King Charles III

• Voyager Therapeutics Enters Capsid License Agreement and Strategic Collaboration with Novartis to Advance Novel Gene Therapies  

GPCR Events, Meetings, and Webinars

• January 16 - 19, 2024 | 23rd Annual PEP Talk

• February 3 - 7, 2024 | SLAS2024 International Conference and Exhibition

• February 11 - 14, 2024 | 2024 BPS Annual Meeting

• March 5 - 7, 2024 | 3rd GPCRs - Targeted Drug Discovery Summit

• March 23 - 24, 2024 | Ligand Recognition and Molecular Gating Seminar

• March 24 - 29, 2024 | Ligand Recognition and Molecular Gating Conference

• April 1 - 4, 2024 | 19th Annual Drug Discovery Chemistry

• April 4 - 7, 2024 | American Physiology Summit

• April 5 - 10, 2024 | AACR Annual Meeting

• April 22 - 23, 2024 | Endocrine Metabolic GPCRs

• May 13 - 17, 2024 | 20th Annual PEGS Boston Summit

• May 16 - 19, 2024 | ASPET 2024

• May 27 - 29, 2024 | SLAS Europe 2024 Conference and Exhibition

• June 2 - 7, 2024 | Chemotactic Cytokines

• June 9 - 14, 2024 | 2024 Phosphorylation and G-Protein Mediated Signaling Networks

• June 25 - 29, 2024 | FENS Forum 2024

• October 2 - 4, 2024 | 9th GPCRs in Medicinal Chemistry

•  October 23 - 25, 2024 | 11th Adhesion GPCR Workshop

• July 12 - 17, 2026 | 20th World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology 2026

GPCR Jobs

• NEW Postdoctoral Scientist

• NEW Principal Investigator, In Vitro Biology

• NEW Associate Scientist

• Postdoctoral Scholar - O’Neill Lab

• Junior Research Scientist

• Postdoctoral Fellow

• Post-Doc Research Associate

• Assistant/Associate Professor 

Explore Dr. GPCR Ecosystem