In vivo Effects of a GPR30 Antagonist

Estrogen is central to many physiological processes throughout the human body. We have previously shown that the G protein-coupled receptor GPR30/GPER, in addition to classical nuclear estrogen receptors (ERα/β), activates cellular signaling pathways in response to estrogen. In order to distinguish between the actions of classical estrogen receptors and GPR30, we have previously characterized a selective agonist of GPR30, G-1 (1). To complement the pharmacological properties of G-1, we sought to identify an antagonist of GPR30 that displays similar selectivity against the classical estrogen receptors. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a G-1 analog, G15 (2) that binds to GPR30 with high affinity and acts as an antagonist of estrogen signaling through GPR30. In vivo administration of G15 reveals that GPR30 contributes to both uterine and neurological responses initiated by estrogen. The identification of this antagonist will accelerate the evaluation of the roles of GPR30 in human physiology.