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Targeting a specific chemokine/receptor axis in atherosclerosis remains challenging. Soluble receptor-based strategies are not established for chemokine receptors due to their discontinuous architecture. Macrophage migration-inhibitory factor (MIF) is an atypical chemokine that promotes atherosclerosis through CXC-motif chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4). However, CXCR4/CXCL12 interactions also mediate atheroprotection. Here, we show that constrained 31-residue-peptides ('msR4Ms') designed to mimic the CXCR4-binding site to MIF, selectively bind MIF with nanomolar affinity and block MIF/CXCR4 without affecting CXCL12/CXCR4. We identify msR4M-L1, which blocks MIF- but not CXCL12-elicited CXCR4 vascular cell activities. Its potency compares well with established MIF inhibitors, whereas msR4M-L1 does not interfere with cardioprotective MIF/CD74 signaling. In vivo-administered msR4M-L1 enriches in atherosclerotic plaques, blocks arterial leukocyte adhesion, and inhibits atherosclerosis and inflammation in hyperlipidemic Apoe -/- mice in vivo. Finally, msR4M-L1 binds to MIF in plaques from human carotid-endarterectomy specimens. Together, we establish an engineered GPCR-ectodomain-based mimicry principle that differentiates between disease-exacerbating and -protective pathways and chemokine-selectively interferes with atherosclerosis.

Chemokine receptors, a subclass of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), play essential roles in the human immune system, they are involved in cancer metastasis as well as in HIV-infection. A plethora of studies show that homo- and heterodimers or even higher order oligomers of the chemokine receptors CXCR4, CCR5, and CCR2 modulate receptor function. In addition, membrane cholesterol affects chemokine receptor activity. However, structural information about homo- and heterodimers formed by chemokine receptors and their interplay with cholesterol is limited. Here, we report homo- and heterodimer configurations of the chemokine receptors CXCR4, CCR5, and CCR2 at atomistic detail, as obtained from thousands of molecular dynamics simulations. The observed homodimerization patterns were similar for the closely related CC chemokine receptors, yet they differed significantly between the CC receptors and CXCR4. Despite their high sequence identity, cholesterol modulated the CC homodimer interfaces in a subtype-specific manner. Chemokine receptor heterodimers display distinct dimerization patterns for CXCR4/CCR5 and CXCR4/CCR2. Furthermore, associations between CXCR4 and CCR5 reveal an increased cholesterol-sensitivity as compared to CXCR4/CCR2 heterodimerization patterns. This work provides a first comprehensive structural overview over the complex interaction network between chemokine receptors and indicates how heterodimerization and the interaction with the membrane environment diversifies the function of closely related GPCRs.

FROUNT is a cytoplasmic protein that binds to the membrane-proximal C-terminal regions (Pro-Cs) of chemokine receptors, CCR2 and CCR5. The FROUNT-chemokine receptor interactions play a pivotal role in the migration of inflammatory immune cells, indicating the potential of FROUNT as a drug target for inflammatory diseases. To provide the foundation for drug development, structural information of the Pro-C binding region of FROUNT is desired. Here, we defined the novel structural domain (FNT-CB), which mediates the interaction with the chemokine receptors. A recombinant GST-tag-fused FNT-CB protein expression system was constructed. The protein was purified by affinity chromatography and then subjected to in-gel protease digestion of the GST-tag. The released FNT-CB was further purified by anion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Purified FNT-CB adopts a helical structure, as indicated by CD. NMR line-broadening indicated that weak aggregation occurred at sub-millimolar concentrations, but the line-broadening was mitigated by using a deuterated sample in concert with transverse relaxation-optimized spectroscopy. The specific binding of FNT-CB to CCR2 Pro-C was confirmed by the fluorescence-based assay. The improved NMR spectral quality and the retained functional activity of FNT-CB support the feasibility of further structural and functional studies targeted at the anti-inflammatory drug development.

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) allow for the transmission of signals across biological membranes. For a number of GPCRs, this signaling was shown to be coupled to prior dimerization of the receptor. The chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) was reported before to form dimers and their functionality was shown to depend on membrane cholesterol. Here, we address the dimerization pattern of CXCR4 in pure phospholipid bilayers and in cholesterol-rich membranes. Using ensembles of molecular dynamics simulations, we show that CXCR4 dimerizes promiscuously in phospholipid membranes. Addition of cholesterol dramatically affects the dimerization pattern: cholesterol binding largely abolishes the preferred dimer motif observed for pure phospholipid bilayers formed mainly by transmembrane helices 1 and 7 (TM1/TM5-7) at the dimer interface. In turn, the symmetric TM3,4/TM3,4 interface is enabled first by intercalating cholesterol molecules. These data provide a molecular basis for the modulation of GPCR activity by its lipid environment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Eukaryotic transmembrane helical (TMH) proteins perform a wide diversity of critical cellular functions, but remain structurally largely uncharacterized and their high-resolution structure prediction is currently hindered by the lack of close structural homologues. To address this problem, we present a novel and generic method for accurately modeling large TMH protein structures from distant homologues exhibiting distinct loop and TMH conformations. Models of the adenosine A2AR and chemokine CXCR4 receptors were first ranked in GPCR-DOCK blind prediction contests in the receptor structure accuracy category. In a benchmark of 50 TMH protein homolog pairs of diverse topology (from 5 to 12 TMHs), size (from 183 to 420 residues) and sequence identity (from 15% to 70%), the method improves most starting templates, and achieves near-atomic accuracy prediction of membrane-embedded regions. Unlike starting templates, the models are of suitable quality for computer-based protein engineering: redesigned models and redesigned X-ray structures exhibit very similar native interactions. The method should prove useful for the atom-level modeling and design of a large fraction of structurally uncharacterized TMH proteins from a wide range of structural homologues.

Chemokine receptors, which belong to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family of proteins, are critical regulators of cell migration in the context of immune surveillance, inflammation, and development. Recently determined structures of chemokine receptor CXCR4 reveal unique structural features, and offer templates for homology modeling of other chemokine receptors, which deepen our understanding in ligand-binding modes and signal transduction mechanisms. Dimerization, another intriguing issue for GPCR research, is also reviewed based on all published GPCR structures., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Transdifferentiation of transplanted marrow stromal cells (MSCs) and reactive changes of glial cells in a completely transected rat spinal cord were examined. Marrow stromal cells exhibited 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP) at the plasma membrane and this has allowed their identification after transplantation by immunoelectron microscopy. In the control rats, the lesion site showed activated microglia/neural macrophages and some elongated cells, whose cytoplasm was immunoreactive for CNP. Cells designated as CNP1 and apparently host-derived expressed CXCR4. In experimental rats receiving MSCs transplantation, CNP1 cells were increased noticeably. This was coupled with the occurrence of a different subset of CNP cells whose plasma membrane was CNP-immunoreactive and expressed CXCR4. These cells, designated as CNP2, enclosed both myelinated and unmyelinated neurites thus assuming a spatial configuration resembling that of Schwann cells. A remarkable feature was the extensive ramifications of CNP1 cells with long filopodia processes delineating the CNP2 cells and their associated neurites, forming many perineurial-like compartments. Present results have shown that CNP2 cells considered to be MSCs-derived can transform into cells resembling Schwann cells based on their spatial relation with the regenerating nerve fibers, whereas the CNP1 glial cells participate in formation of perineurial compartments, probably serving as conduits to guide the nerve fiber growth. The chemotactic migration of CNP cells either derived from host tissue or MSCs bearing CXCR4 may be attracted by stromal derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) produced locally. The coordinated cellular interaction between transplanted MSCs and local glial cells may promote the growth of nerve fibers through the lesion site.