Stuart C. Sealfon

The multitude of G-protein coupled receptor (GPR) superfamily cDNAs recently isolated has exceeded the number of receptor subtypes anticipated by pharmacological studies. Analysis of the sequence similarities and unique features of the members of this family is valuable for designing strategies to isolate related cDNAs, for developing hypotheses concerning substrate-ligand and receptor-effector interactions, and for understanding the evolution of these genes. We have compiled and aligned the 74 unique amino acid sequences published to date and review the present understanding of the structural motifs contributing to ligand binding and G-protein coupling.

I. Introduction II. Amino Acid Sequences of GnRH Receptors A. GnRH receptor cDNAs B. General structural features C. Covalent modifications D. Gene structure III. Structure-Activity Relations of GnRH Peptides A. Overview B. Comparative structures and activities of vertebrate GnRHs C. Roles of individual amino acids in GnRH activity at the mammalian receptor D. Conclusions from peptide structure-activity data IV. Structure and Conformation of GnRH and Its Analogs A. Early studies of GnRH conformation B. Integrated computational and experimental studies C. Exploration of the entire conformation space of GnRH analogs V. Functional Structure of the Receptor and Ligand-Receptor Complex A. Extracellular domains B. Helix domains C. Intracellular loop domains D. Computational modeling of three-dimensional receptor structure VI. Conclusions