Uncovering the structural basis for RAMP regulation of G protein-coupled receptors

G protein-coupled receptor (GPCRs) is the largest protein family in humans and involves over 30% of current drug targets. Chemokine receptors are a subgroup of GPCRs, which bind chemokines to control a number of physiological processes from development to immune system function. Exciting recent findings show that chemokine receptors form complexes with a group of proteins knows as receptor-associated membrane proteins (RAMPs), an interaction that was unexpected and is completely uncharacterized on a molecular level. The grant funds instrumentation that will be crucial to achieve the goal of this project, which is to characterize complexes between receptors and RAMPs and determine 1. How RAMPs interact with chemokine receptors and 2. How this interaction affects receptor function.