Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1998 May;285(2):651-8.

Mutation of a highly conserved aspartate residue in the second transmembrane domain of the cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, disrupts G-protein coupling

Q Tao  1 , M E Abood
Affiliations
  • PMID: 9580609

Mutation of a highly conserved aspartate residue in the second transmembrane domain of the cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, disrupts G-protein coupling

Q Tao et al. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1998 May.

Abstract

The cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, are members of the G-protein coupled receptor family and share many of this family's structural features. A highly conserved aspartic acid residue in the second transmembrane domain of G-protein coupled receptors has been shown for many of these receptors to be functionally important for agonist binding and/or G-protein coupling. To determine whether this residue is involved in cannabinoid receptor function, we used site-directed mutagenesis of receptor cDNA followed by expression of the mutant receptor in HEK 293 cells. Aspartate 163 (in CB1) and aspartate 80 (in CB2) were substituted with either asparagine or glutamate. Stably transfected cell lines were tested for radioligand binding and inhibition of cAMP accumulation. Binding of the cannabinoid receptor agonist [3H]CP-55,940 was not affected by either mutation in either the CB1 or CB2 receptor, nor were the affinities of anandamide or (-)-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Binding of the CB1-selective receptor antagonist SR141716A also was unaltered. However, the affinity of WIN 55,212-2 was attenuated significantly in the CB1, but not the CB2, mutant receptors. Studies examining inhibition of cAMP accumulation showed reduced effects of cannabinoid agonists in the mutated receptors. Our data suggest that this aspartate residue is not generally important for ligand recognition in the cannabinoid receptors; however, it is required for communication with G proteins and signal transduction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources