Crystal Structures of Human Orexin 2 Receptor Bound to the Subtype-Selective Antagonist EMPA

Abstract

Orexin peptides in the brain regulate physiological functions such as the sleep-wake cycle, and are thus drug targets for the treatment of insomnia. Using serial femtosecond crystallography and multi-crystal data collection with a synchrotron light source, we determined structures of human orexin 2 receptor in complex with the subtype-selective antagonist EMPA (N-ethyl-2-[(6-methoxy-pyridin-3-yl)-(toluene-2-sulfonyl)-amino]-N-pyridin-3-ylmethyl-acetamide) at 2.30-Å and 1.96-Å resolution. In comparison with the non-subtype-selective antagonist suvorexant, EMPA contacted fewer residues through hydrogen bonds at the orthosteric site, explaining the faster dissociation rate. Comparisons among these OX₂R structures in complex with selective antagonists and previously determined OX₁R/OX₂R structures bound to non-selective antagonists revealed that the residue at positions 2.61 and 3.33 were critical for the antagonist selectivity in OX₂R. The importance of these residues for binding selectivity to OX₂R was also revealed by molecular dynamics simulation. These results should facilitate the development of antagonists for orexin receptors.

Keywords: GPCR; X-ray crystallography; X-ray free-electron laser; orexin receptor; serial femtosecond crystallography; subtype selective ligand.