PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Petra de Kruijf
AU  - Herman D. Lim
AU  - Luc Roumen
AU  - Véronique A. Renjaän
AU  - Jiuqiao Zhao
AU  - Maria L. Webb
AU  - Douglas S. Auld
AU  - Jac. C.H.M. Wijkmans
AU  - Guido J. R. Zaman
AU  - Martine J. Smit
AU  - Chris de Graaf
AU  - Rob Leurs
TI  - Identification of a Novel Allosteric Binding Site in the CXCR2 Chemokine Receptor
AID  - 10.1124/mol.111.073825
DP  - 2011 Dec 01
TA  - Molecular Pharmacology
PG  - 1108--1118
VI  - 80
IP  - 6
4099  - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/80/6/1108.short
4100  - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/80/6/1108.full
SO  - Mol Pharmacol2011 Dec 01; 80
AB  - We have shown previously that different chemical classes of small-molecule antagonists of the human chemokine CXCR2 receptor interact with distinct binding sites of the receptor. Although an intracellular binding site for diarylurea CXCR2 antagonists, such as N-(2-bromophenyl)-N′-(7-cyano-1H-benzotriazol-4-yl)urea (SB265610), and thiazolopyrimidine compounds was recently mapped by mutagenesis studies, we now report on an imidazolylpyrimidine antagonist binding pocket in the transmembrane domain of CXCR2. Using different CXCR2 orthologs, chimeric proteins, site-directed mutagenesis, and in silico modeling, we have elucidated the binding mode of this antagonist. Our in silico-guided mutagenesis studies indicate that the ligand binding cavity for imidazolylpyrimidine compounds in CXCR2 is located between transmembrane (TM) helices 3 (Phe1303.36), 5 (Ser2175.44, Phe2205.47), and 6 (Asn2686.52, Leu2716.55) and suggest that these antagonists enter CXCR2 via the TM5-TM6 interface. It is noteworthy that the same interface is postulated as the ligand entry channel in the opsin receptor and is occupied by lipid molecules in the recently solved crystal structure of the CXCR4 chemokine receptor, suggesting a general ligand entrance mechanism for nonpolar ligands to G protein-coupled receptors. The identification of a novel allosteric binding cavity in the TM domain of CXCR2, in addition to the previously identified intracellular binding site, shows the diversity in ligand recognition mechanisms by this receptor and offers new opportunities for the structure-based design of small allosteric modulators of CXCR2 in the future.