Deorphanizing G Protein-Coupled Receptors by a Calcium Mobilization Assay

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise one of the largest families of transmembrane proteins involved in signal transduction of diverse external stimuli and represent the most successful target class in drug discovery. The availability of genome sequences in the postgenomic era has paved the way for in silico identification of novel GPCR family members based upon sequence similarity. Consequently, newly discovered receptors are by definition orphan GPCRs with no known ligand, and their functional characterization now poses a major challenge. Over the years, advances in understanding of GPCR biology have led to the development of cell-based assay systems that link orphan GPCRs to their activating ligand(s) in high-throughput format (reverse pharmacology). Many of these technologies monitor important steps in the GPCR activation cycle such as the accumulation of secondary messenger molecules (e.g., cAMP, calcium). In this chapter, we present a calcium mobilization assay in mammalian cells to detect changes in intracellular calcium concentration upon receptor activation by the use of a fluorescent probe. This is currently one of the most frequently used assay systems for GPCR deorphanization.