Amino acid glycine binds to the receptor, acts more quickly on mood disorders
The function of glycine, one of the amino acids, has been newly revealed. Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute at the University of Florida found that glycine can help with depression, anxiety and other mood disorders by giving the brain a signal to “slow down.”
This study focused on the GPR158 receptor. When this receptor binds to glycine, it inhibits cellular activity rather than activating it. The research team changed the name of this receptor to mGlyR (metabotropic glycine receptor).
In 2018, a research team led by co-author Kirill Martemyanov, Ph.D., discovered that a new receptor is associated with stress-induced depression. They demonstrated that mice lacking the GPR158 receptor gene have remarkable resilience to chronic stress. “We have provided strong evidence that GPR158 could be a target for therapy,” said Dr. Martemyanov.
A breakthrough occurred in 2021 when the research team unraveled the structure of GPR158. Surprisingly, the GPR158 receptor looks like a microscopic clamp with compartments similar to those seen in bacteria, not human cells. The only amino acid that fit this structure was glycine.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t just that. Signal transduction molecules have been found to be inhibitors rather than activators within cells. When GPR158 binds to glycine, it is linked to a cooperating molecule that hits the brakes rather than the accelerator. “Receptors such as GPR158, commonly known as G protein-coupled receptors, bind to G proteins,” said first author Dr. Thiebaud Laboute. “These receptors bind to RGS proteins with the opposite effect of activation.”
Scientists have been cataloging the roles of cell receptors and their signaling partners for decades. Those that do not have a known signal, such as GPR158, are called ‘orphan receptors’. “The results of this study mean that GPR158 is no longer a ‘rare receptor,'” said Dr. Labout. This is why the research team changed the name to ‘metabotropic glycine receptor’, or mGlyR.
The findings could help develop faster-acting therapies for mood disorders. “Our findings may advance our understanding of the biological causes of severe depression and accelerate efforts to develop new, faster-acting drugs to help with difficult-to-treat mood disorders,” said Dr. Martemyanov. “Most medications for depressed patients take several weeks to work, so new treatments for depression are urgently needed,” he added.
Severe depression is one of the most pressing health challenges worldwide. Depression, especially among young adults, has skyrocketed in recent years. According to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2021, this will cost the United States an economic burden of $ 326 billion annually.
The study was published in ‘Science’. The original product is ‘Orphan receptor GPR158 serves as a metabotropic glycine receptor: mGlyR’.
