Allosteric Mechanisms of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling: A Structural Perspective

G protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) use a complex series of intramolecular conformational changes to couple agonist binding to the binding and activation of cognate heterotrimeric G protein (Gαβγ). The mechanisms underlying this long-range activation have been identified using a variety of biochemical and structural approaches and have primarily used visual signal transduction via the GPCR rhodopsin and cognate heterotrimeric G protein transducin (Gt) as a model system. In this chapter, we will review the methods that have revealed allosteric signaling through rhodopsin and transducin. These methods can be applied to a variety of GPCR-mediated signaling pathways.