November 7, 2011
More Options Than I Thought: GPCR Expression Systems
When it comes to expression systems, insect cells have been the primary supplier of GPCR protein for crystallographic studies. Notable exceptions are:
- Rhodopsins can be obtained from the retina of eyes from Squid or cows and alternatively be expressed in COS cells.
- The Histamine H1 receptor expressed in Pichia pastoris was used to determine its crystal structure
To attendees and listeners of the "GPCR expression for biophysical and structural studies" webinar: There was a question at the very end of the webinar and I'd like to correct the answer that I gave. While it is true that insect cells are an important source for heterologous expression of GPCRs, they're not the sole source of GPCR material for crystallization.
Histamine 1 receptor, expressed in Pichia pastoris as a fusion protein with Lysozyme as described in
Shimamura T, Shiroishi M, Weyand S, Tsujimoto H, Winter G, Katritch V, Abagyan R, Cherezov V, Liu W, Han GW, Kobayashi T, Stevens RC, & Iwata S (2011). Structure of the human histamine H1 receptor complex with doxepin. Nature, 475 (7354), 65-70 PMID: 21697825
Thanks to the listeners for making me aware of this!
Peter