Molecular modeling studies on the human neuropeptide S receptor and its antagonists

ChemMedChem. 2010 Mar 1;5(3):371-83. doi: 10.1002/cmdc.200900467.

Abstract

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a 20-residue peptide of great interest due to its potential involvement in several biological processes such as arousal, anxiety, and food intake. The NPS receptor belongs to the rhodopsin-like G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily, and several polymorphisms and isoforms of this receptor are associated with asthma, allergies, and bronchial hyper-responsiveness, in particular the Asn 107 Ile mutation. Limited structural information is available for this peptide-receptor system, particularly regarding the NPS receptor structure, its nonpeptide ligands, and the molecular aspects of agonist and antagonist binding processes. In this work, rhodopsin-based homology models of the NPS receptor and its Asn 107 Ile variant were built and refined in a membrane bilayer model, and binding modes for nonpeptide antagonists were simulated. This study provides the first structural study of the human NPS receptor, and the results provide a starting point for further characterization of the binding modes of its antagonists, and for the rational design of new NPS receptor ligands.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Cattle
  • Computer Simulation
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Lipid Bilayers / chemistry
  • Lipid Bilayers / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Piperazine
  • Piperazines / chemistry*
  • Piperazines / pharmacology*
  • Protein Binding
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / chemistry*
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / metabolism
  • Rhodopsin / chemistry
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Structural Homology, Protein

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • NPSR1 protein, human
  • Piperazines
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Piperazine
  • Rhodopsin