

Project C06 – Structure-, localization-, metabolism- and ligand-dependent signaling bias of metabolite-sensing GPCRs
Our project will provide insights into the molecular mechanism and structural requirements of selected immune cell GPCRs activated by energy metabolites for their (localization- and agonist-dependent) signaling dynamics. Since metabolism is compartmentalized inside cells and locally generates agonists of metabolite-sensing GPCRs, we will analyze (i) the succinate receptor, (ii) the 5-oxo-eicosatetraenoic acid receptor and (iii) the medium-chain fatty acid receptor GPR84. We will use Förster- and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer technologies in heterologous expression systems to distinguish between signaling of a GPCR from the plasma membrane or intracellular compartments, and to gain insights into conformational receptor changes in living cells. Our approaches will then be applied to study GPCR trafficking and signaling in CRISPR/Cas9-gene edited THP1- or iPSC-derived macrophages.
Contact

Dr. PD Claudia Stäubert (Project Leader)
Leipzig University, Faculty of Medicine
Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry
Johannisallee 30, D-04103 Leipzig
Phone +49 341 97 22156
E-Mail
Web https://www.uniklinikum-leipzig.de/einrichtungen/biochemie

Aenne-Dorothea Liebing (PhD Student, associated)
Leipzig University, Faculty of Medicine
Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry
Johannisallee 30, D-04103 Leipzig

Florian Flemming (PhD Student, associated)
Leipzig University, Faculty of Medicine
Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry
Johannisallee 30, D-04103 Leipzig

Franziska Bischof (PhD Student)
Leipzig University, Faculty of Medicine
Rudolf Schönheimer Institute of Biochemistry
Johannisallee 30, D-04103 Leipzig
Resources
- Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)
- High-throughput screening (second messenger, ERK/Akt, G protein recruitment/activation)
- multi-Parametric Surface Plasmon Resonance (MP-SPR)
- Dynamic mass redistribution (DMR)
- Celigo imaging cytometer
- Seahorse analyzer (metabolic analyses)
Publications
Liebing AD, Rabe P, Krumbholz P, Zieschang C, Bischof F, Schulz A, Billig S, Birkemeyer C, Pillaiyar T, Garcia-Marcos M, Kraft R, Stäubert C. Succinate receptor 1 signaling mutually depends on subcellular localization and cellular metabolism. FEBS J. 2025 Jan 21. doi: 10.1111/febs.17407. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39838520.