Abstract

The chemokine receptor CCR2, which has been implicated in a variety of inflammatory, autoimmune, and cardiovascular conditions, binds several natural chemokine ligands. Here, we assessed the recruitment of β-arrestin to CCR2 in response to these ligands using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer technology. Compared with CCL2, which was considered as a full agonist, other CCR2 ligands were partial agonists with reduced efficacy and potency. Agonist potencies were not a function of their affinity for CCR2. Efficacy of arrestin recruitment matched that of agonist-induced CCR2 internalization. Although the potency and efficacy rank orders of the ligands in arrestin recruitment were similar to those observed for Gα_i1 activation, arrestin recruitment was at least in part resistant to Gα_i/o-inactivating pertussis toxin, suggesting partial independence from Gα_i/o. The degree of pertussis toxin resistance of arrestin recruitment was different between the chemokines. Moreover, qualitative differences between the arrestin responses to the different ligands were identified in the stability of the response: although CCL7-induced arrestin recruitment had a half-life of less than 15 min, CCL8 and CCL13 induced stable CCR2-arrestin interactions. Finally, the ligands stabilized different conformations of the CCR2 homodimer. Our results support the validity of models for receptor-ligand interactions in which different ligands stabilize different receptor conformations also for endogenous receptor ligands, with corresponding implications for drug development targeting CCR2.