Subprojects that aim to determine GPCR structure and function the determination of GPCR structures are summarized in the Project Group A. This includes important targets and their structural elucidation via different methods such as protein X-ray crystallography, high-resolution solid-state and solution NMR spectroscopy, as well as cryo-EM. A01 to A04 focus on different peptide-binding class-A (rhodopsin-like) GPCRs, whereas A05 and A06 address aGPCRs to understand their structure and function. A07 develops new tools to enable and to improve molecular modeling of GPCRs in complex with extracellular ligands and intracellular signaling proteins.
For an accurate and deep understanding of allostery in GPCRs such structural (atomic) knowledge of the interplaying partners in a GPCR/ligand/effector system is obligatory. The number of crystallized – mostly aminergic GPCRs – has been increased dramatically over the last decade, but for peptide receptors structural information is still fragmentary available, yet.