coupled Receptors (GPCR)
Brian K. Kobilka and G-protein-coupled Receptors (GPCR)
Resources with Additional Information
Credit: Linda A. Cicero
Stanford News Service
'Thanks in part to research performed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded today to Americans Brian Kobilka and Robert Lefkowitz for their work on G-protein-coupled receptors.
G-protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs, are a large family of proteins embedded in a cell’s membrane that sense molecules outside the cell and activate a cascade of different cellular processes in response. They constitute key components of how cells interact with their environments and are the target of nearly half of today’s pharmaceuticals. ...
In a study performed at Argonne in 2007, Kobilka, a professor at Stanford University, used intense X-rays produced by the laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source (APS) to make the first discovery of the structure of a human GPCR. This receptor, called the human β2 adrenoreceptor (β2AR), is responsible for a number of different biological responses, including facilitating breathing and dilating the arteries.
A second and potentially even more exciting breakthrough occurred just last year, when Kobilka used the APS to determine the structure of β2AR at the exact moment that the protein-receptor complex signals across the membrane. This study represented the first time that a GPCR had been caught “in the act” of carrying out its biological mission. ...
In order to obtain the structure of a GPCR, Kobilka and his colleagues turned to X-ray crystallography, a process that can locate each of the atoms within a larger molecule such as a GPCR. “The combination of intense X-rays and cutting-edge crystallography capabilities at the APS gave the researchers a world-class tool tailored especially for this kind of experiment,” said APS associate laboratory director Brian Stephenson. “There are very few places in the world where these breakthroughs could have been made.”
“Argonne leads the world when it comes to developing and providing access to new crystallographic instruments and techniques,” Kobilka said last year.'
'Dr. Kobilka is Professor of Medicine, Cardiology, and Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and his M.D. degree from Yale University. After his residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, he joined the laboratory of Robert Lefkowitz as a research fellow in cardiology at Duke University, where he was later Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine before joining the faculty at Stanford.'
1Edited excerpts from Advanced Photon Source Lights the Way to 2012 Chemistry Nobel.
2From Brian K. Kobilka, M.D.
Additional information about Brian Kobilka and G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) is via publications and on the Web.
Publication Information:Ligand-specific Regulation of the Extracellular Surface of a G-protein-coupled Receptor; Nature; Volume 463; January 7, 2010
Its All About the Structure; Nature; Volume 476; August 25, 2011
Crystal Structure of the β2 Adrenergic Receptor--Gs Protein Complex; Nature; Volume 477; September 29, 2011
Structure of the Human M2 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Bound to an Antagonist; Nature, Volume 482, February 23, 2012
Crystal Structure of the mu-opioid Receptor Bound to a Morphinan Antagonist; Nature, Volume 485, May 17, 2012
Additional Web Pages:
Fact Sheet on Work by Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Brian Kobilka
First Structure of a Complex between a G Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) and it G Protein Revealed, Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
A Cellular Cell: Scientists show structure of critical communications protein using bright light at Argonne Laboratory
Bright Lights, Big Molecules and Hopefully a Better Understanding of Addictions
U.S. Scientists Win Nobel for Cell Receptor Research, PBS NewsHour
Researchers Get Precise Picture of Cell Target for Drugs, Stanford University News
Kobilka Lab at Stanford University
Researchers Find Gene Receptors at the Source of Fat-burning Tissue, Stanford Report, August 7, 2002
Stanford Scientist Brian Kobilka Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Telephone Interview with Brian K. Kobilka, Nobelprize.org (video)
Leader in Adrenergic Receptor Research to Give 23rd Annual Krebs Lecture May 25, University of WashingtonVideo: Brian Kobilka, 2012 Nobel Prize Recipient in Chemistry, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory