6n4b

Publication Abstract from PubMed

Cannabis elicits its mood-enhancing and analgesic effects through the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that signals primarily through the adenylyl cyclase-inhibiting heterotrimeric G protein Gi. Activation of CB1-Gi signaling pathways holds potential for treating a number of neurological disorders and is thus crucial to understand the mechanism of Gi activation by CB1. Here, we present the structure of the CB1-Gi signaling complex bound to the highly potent agonist MDMB-Fubinaca (FUB), a recently emerged illicit synthetic cannabinoid infused in street drugs that have been associated with numerous overdoses and fatalities. The structure illustrates how FUB stabilizes the receptor in an active state to facilitate nucleotide exchange in Gi. The results compose the structural framework to explain CB1 activation by different classes of ligands and provide insights into the G protein coupling and selectivity mechanisms adopted by the receptor.

Structure of a Signaling Cannabinoid Receptor 1-G Protein Complex.,Krishna Kumar K, Shalev-Benami M, Robertson MJ, Hu H, Banister SD, Hollingsworth SA, Latorraca NR, Kato HE, Hilger D, Maeda S, Weis WI, Farrens DL, Dror RO, Malhotra SV, Kobilka BK, Skiniotis G Cell. 2019 Jan 24;176(3):448-458.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.11.040. Epub 2019 , Jan 10. PMID:30639101^[3]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.