Chimeric GPCRs mimic distinct signaling pathways and modulate microglia responses

Abstract

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate multiple processes ranging from cell growth and immune responses to neuronal signal transmission. However, ligands for many GPCRs remain unknown, suffer from off-target effects or have poor bioavailability. Additional challenges exist to dissect cell type-specific responses when the same GPCR is expressed on different cells within the body. Here, we overcome these limitations by engineering DREADD-based GPCR chimeras that selectively bind their agonist clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) and mimic a GPCR-of-interest. We show that the chimeric DREADD-{beta}2-adrenergic receptor ({beta}2AR/ADRB2) triggers comparable responses to levalbuterol on second messenger and kinase activity, post-translational modifications, and protein-protein interactions. Moreover, we successfully recapitulate {beta}2AR-mediated filopodia formation in microglia, a {beta}2AR-expressing immune cell that can drive inflammation in the nervous system. To further dissect microglial inflammation, we compared DREADD-{beta}2AR with two additionally designed DREADD-based chimeras mimicking GPR65 and GPR109A/HCAR2, both enriched in microglia. DREADD-{beta}2AR and DREADD-GPR65 modulate the inflammatory response with a similar profile as endogenously expressed {beta}2AR, while DREADD-GPR109A had no impact. Our DREADD-based approach allows investigation of cell type-dependent signaling pathways and function without known endogenous ligands.