Tyrosine 220 in the 5th transmembrane domain of the neuromedin B receptor is critical for the high selectivity of the peptoid antagonist PD168368.

Peptoid antagonists are increasingly being described for G protein-coupled receptors; however, little is known about the molecular basis of their binding. Recently, the peptoid PD168368 was found to be a potent selective neuromedin B receptor (NMBR) antagonist. To investigate the molecular basis for its selectivity for the NMBR over the closely related receptor for gastrin-releasing peptide (GRPR), we used a chimeric receptor approach and a site-directed mutagenesis approach. Mutated receptors were transiently expressed in Balb 3T3. The extracellular domains of the NMBR were not important for the selectivity of PD168368. However, substitution of the 5th upper transmembrane domain (uTM5) of the NMBR by the comparable GRPR domains decreased the affinity 16-fold. When the reverse study was performed by substituting the uTM5 of NMBR into the GRPR, a 9-fold increase in affinity occurred. Each of the 4 amino acids that differed between NMBR and GRPR in the uTM5 region were exchanged, but only the substitution of Phe(220) for Tyr in the NMBR caused a decrease in affinity. When the reverse study was performed to attempt to demonstrate a gain of affinity in the GRPR, the substitution of Tyr(219) for Phe caused an increase in affinity. These results suggest that the hydroxyl group of Tyr(220) in uTM5 of NMBR plays a critical role for high selectivity of PD168368 for NMBR over GRPR. Receptor and ligand modeling suggests that the hydroxyl of the Tyr(220) interacts with nitrophenyl group of PD168368 likely primarily by hydrogen bonding. This result shows the selectivity of the peptoid PD168368, similar to that reported for numerous non-peptide analogues with other G protein-coupled receptors, is primarily dependent on interaction with transmembrane amino acids.