SurveyFormyl peptide receptors: A promiscuous subfamily of G protein-coupled receptors controlling immune responses
Section snippets
Leukocyte chemoattractant agents
Leukocyte trafficking across the body is controlled by a variety of protein families that include integrins, cell adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin family, selectins and glycoprotein selectin ligands, as well as a diverse group of chemoattractant molecules. Chemoattractants are responsible for the directional movement of the various leukocyte populations to specific compartments of the body, including primary and secondary lymphoid organs, tissues involved in immune surveillance (skin,
Discovery and cloning of human formyl peptide receptors
The human formyl peptide receptor (FPR) was defined pharmacologically in 1976 as a high affinity binding site, on the surface of neutrophils, for the peptide N-formyl-methionine-leucine-phenylalanine (fMLF), the prototype for N-formylated bacterial peptides [1]. This receptor was later cloned in 1990 by functional screening of a cDNA library constructed from differentiated HL-60 myeloid leukaemia cells. The cDNA encoded a protein of 350 amino acids [2]. The formyl peptide receptor gene spans 6
Genetic variants and mammalian orthologs of formyl peptide receptors
In human, single nucleotide polymorphisms in the FPR coding region have been reported, and two of these variants, which encode dysfunctional alleles, have been associated with juvenile periodontitis, as the result of an increased susceptibility to infection by Actinobacillus actinomycetescomitans [9], [10].
The FPR genes of non human primates are 95–99% identical to their human ortholog, and the highest divergence resides in the extracellular loops, which are presumably involved in ligand
Tissue and cellular distribution of receptors of the FPR family
FPR expression has initially been described in phagocytic leukocytes, monocytes and neutrophils (Table 1). It was later observed in immature dendritic cells (DCs), microglial cells, platelets, spleen and bone marrow. It is also described in non-hematopoietic cell populations and tissues, such as hepatocytes, fibroblasts, astrocytes, neurons of the autonomic nervous system, lung and lung carcinoma cells, thyroid, adrenals, heart, the tunica media of coronary arteries, uterus, ovary, placenta,
Signal transduction of formyl peptide receptors
Signal transduction pathways activated by formyl peptide receptors are reviewed in detail elsewhere [33]. The pattern of ligand recognition and activation of FPR and FPRL1 in neutrophils has also been recently reviewed [34]. FPR, FPRL1 and FPRL2 are all coupled to the Gi family of G proteins, as indicated by the total loss of cell response to their respective agonists, upon exposure to Pertussis toxin [1], [20], [35]. More specifically, FPR is coupled to Gi1, Gi2 and Gi3, but coupling to G0, Gz
Formyl peptides
The first described ligand of FPR is the prototypical formylated peptide fMLF from Escherichia coli, which binds and activates FPR with high affinity (Table 2). Peptides derived from Listeria monocytogenes were also shown to selectively activate FPR. They display a very weak activity on FPRL1, and none on FPRL2 [47]. The formyl group has been shown to be necessary for activation by the tripeptide, but it was later shown that unformylated but longer peptides were also able to activate phagocytes
Pharmacology and putative functions of FPRL1
FPRL1 is an exceptionally promiscuous receptor, responding to numerous ligands of different origins and of high structural diversity [1], [20]. FPRL1 was initially defined as a low affinity receptor for fMLF, with an affinity around 1 μM [4]. Thereafter, a number of additional ligands were described over the years.
Synthetic peptides
The first molecules proposed as FPRL2 agonists were the synthetic W peptides active on FPR and FPRL1 [35]. On FPRL2-expressing HL-60 cells, WKYMVM and WKYMVm elicited calcium mobilisation and chemotaxis. In a competition binding assay performed on FPRL2-expressing RINm5F cells, WKYMVm and WKYMVM competed for the tracer (125I-WKYMVm) with an IC50 of about 3 μM. Phosphorylation of the receptor in RINm5F cells was detected at rest, and slightly increased following incubation with micromolar
Pharmacology and putative functions of murine fpr receptors
It is important to keep in mind that the extrapolation of data between murine and human species is not obvious in the case of formyl peptide receptors. Indeed, the FPR gene cluster has undergone differential expansion after divergence of human and mouse species (Fig. 1). In addition, the larger number of receptors encoded by the mouse genome does not appear to correspond to a multiplication of subtypes. Indeed, most of the mouse receptors do not respond to the main high affinity ligands
Structure-function relationships of formyl peptide receptors
The ligand-binding domains of FPR and FPRL1 have been analysed by the classical approaches of receptor chimaeras and site-directed mutagenesis. Chimaeras between C5aR and FPR showed that virtually all domains of FPR are involved in the high affinity binding of fMLF [139]. A comparison of the sequences of human FPR and FPRL1, and their rabbit and mouse counterparts, together with the construction of FPR-FPRL1 chimeras and point mutants, confirmed the involvement of multiple non-contiguous
Conclusions and perspectives
Formyl peptide receptors play clearly an important role in the regulation of immune functions. They display complex functional properties, partly due to their high promiscuity, but also to the fact that activation of the receptors can promote either stimulation or inhibition of the immune response, depending on the ligand, its concentration, and the cell type involved. These receptors have the unique peculiarity among G protein-coupled receptors to be activated by a very diverse set of natural
Acknowledgements
The work performed in the laboratory of the authors was supported by the Belgian programme on Interuniversity Poles of Attraction initiated by the Belgian State, Prime Minister's Office, Science Policy Programming, the Life Sci Health programme of the European Community (grants LSHB-CT-2003-503337, GPCRs and LSHB-CT-2005-518167, INNOCHEM), the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique Médicale of Belgium and the Fondation Médicale Reine Elisabeth to M.P. The scientific responsibility is assumed by the
Dr Isabelle Migeotte received her MD from the Free University of Brussels in 1998 and her PhD in 2005. She is presently post-doctoral fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Her PhD was dedicated to the characterization of new ligands of the FPRL2 receptor.
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Dr Isabelle Migeotte received her MD from the Free University of Brussels in 1998 and her PhD in 2005. She is presently post-doctoral fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Her PhD was dedicated to the characterization of new ligands of the FPRL2 receptor.
Dr. Marc Parmentier is vice-director of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research of the Free University of Brussels (ULB) Medical School. He obtained his MD from ULB in 1981, and his PhD in 1990. His group is dedicated to the characterization of new G protein-coupled receptors, particularly in the frame of the control of immune responses.