Structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptors

Abstract Obesity is a major and increasingly prevalent chronic metabolic disease with numerous comorbidities. While recent incretin-based therapies have provided pharmaceutical inroads into treatment of obesity, there remains an ongoing need for additional medicines with distinct modes of action as...

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Main Authors: Jianjun Cao, Matthew J. Belousoff, Rachel M. Johnson, Peter Keov, Zamara Mariam, Giuseppe Deganutti, George Christopoulos, Caroline A. Hick, Steffen Reedtz-Runge, Tine Glendorf, Borja Ballarín-González, Kirsten Raun, Charles Bayly-Jones, Denise Wootten, Patrick M. Sexton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58680-y
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author Jianjun Cao
Matthew J. Belousoff
Rachel M. Johnson
Peter Keov
Zamara Mariam
Giuseppe Deganutti
George Christopoulos
Caroline A. Hick
Steffen Reedtz-Runge
Tine Glendorf
Borja Ballarín-González
Kirsten Raun
Charles Bayly-Jones
Denise Wootten
Patrick M. Sexton
author_facet Jianjun Cao
Matthew J. Belousoff
Rachel M. Johnson
Peter Keov
Zamara Mariam
Giuseppe Deganutti
George Christopoulos
Caroline A. Hick
Steffen Reedtz-Runge
Tine Glendorf
Borja Ballarín-González
Kirsten Raun
Charles Bayly-Jones
Denise Wootten
Patrick M. Sexton
author_sort Jianjun Cao
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Obesity is a major and increasingly prevalent chronic metabolic disease with numerous comorbidities. While recent incretin-based therapies have provided pharmaceutical inroads into treatment of obesity, there remains an ongoing need for additional medicines with distinct modes of action as independent or complementary therapeutics. Among the most promising candidates, supported by phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, is cagrilintide, a long-acting amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist. As such, understanding how cagrilintide functionally engages target receptors is critical for future development of this target class. Here, we determine structures of cagrilintide bound to Gs-coupled, active, amylin receptors (AMY1R, AMY2R, AMY3R) and calcitonin receptor (CTR) and compare cagrilintide interactions and the dynamics of receptor complexes with previously reported structures of receptors bound to rat amylin, salmon calcitonin or recently developed amylin-based peptides. These data reveal that cagrilintide has an amylin-like binding mode but, compared to other peptides, induces distinct conformational dynamics at calcitonin-family receptors that could contribute to its clinical efficacy.
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spelling doaj-art-23930f4748734b21988f991fa9614f8f2025-08-20T02:17:01ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-0116111510.1038/s41467-025-58680-yStructural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptorsJianjun Cao0Matthew J. Belousoff1Rachel M. Johnson2Peter Keov3Zamara Mariam4Giuseppe Deganutti5George Christopoulos6Caroline A. Hick7Steffen Reedtz-Runge8Tine Glendorf9Borja Ballarín-González10Kirsten Raun11Charles Bayly-Jones12Denise Wootten13Patrick M. Sexton14Drug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityDrug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityDrug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityDrug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityCentre for Health and Life Sciences, Coventry UniversityCentre for Health and Life Sciences, Coventry UniversityDrug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityDrug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityResearch & Early Development, Novo NordiskResearch & Early Development, Novo NordiskResearch & Early Development, Novo NordiskResearch & Early Development, Novo NordiskARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityDrug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityDrug Discovery Biology Theme, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityAbstract Obesity is a major and increasingly prevalent chronic metabolic disease with numerous comorbidities. While recent incretin-based therapies have provided pharmaceutical inroads into treatment of obesity, there remains an ongoing need for additional medicines with distinct modes of action as independent or complementary therapeutics. Among the most promising candidates, supported by phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, is cagrilintide, a long-acting amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist. As such, understanding how cagrilintide functionally engages target receptors is critical for future development of this target class. Here, we determine structures of cagrilintide bound to Gs-coupled, active, amylin receptors (AMY1R, AMY2R, AMY3R) and calcitonin receptor (CTR) and compare cagrilintide interactions and the dynamics of receptor complexes with previously reported structures of receptors bound to rat amylin, salmon calcitonin or recently developed amylin-based peptides. These data reveal that cagrilintide has an amylin-like binding mode but, compared to other peptides, induces distinct conformational dynamics at calcitonin-family receptors that could contribute to its clinical efficacy.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58680-y
spellingShingle Jianjun Cao
Matthew J. Belousoff
Rachel M. Johnson
Peter Keov
Zamara Mariam
Giuseppe Deganutti
George Christopoulos
Caroline A. Hick
Steffen Reedtz-Runge
Tine Glendorf
Borja Ballarín-González
Kirsten Raun
Charles Bayly-Jones
Denise Wootten
Patrick M. Sexton
Structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptors
Nature Communications
title Structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptors
title_full Structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptors
title_fullStr Structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptors
title_full_unstemmed Structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptors
title_short Structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptors
title_sort structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptors
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58680-y
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