Investigation of the influence of the membrane lipid environment on g protein-coupled receptor activation by molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important therapeutic targets for numerous diseases. Although GPCRs have been extensively studied in recent decades, the molecular mechanisms that determine their activation as well as their allosteric modulation by membrane lipids have not been fully elucidated. This thesis examines the processes of (de)activation of two prototypical class A GPCRs, β2-adrenergic and adenosine A2a receptors, in membranes of different lipid composition by means of molecular dynamics simulations.