Molecular mechanism of β-arrestin-2 pre-activation by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate

Phosphorylated residues of G protein-coupled receptors bind to the N-domain of arrestin, resulting in the release of its C-terminus. This induces further allosteric conformational changes, such as polar core disruption, alteration of interdomain loops, and domain rotation, which transform arrestins into the receptor-activated state. It is widely accepted that arrestin activation occurs by conformational changes propagated from the N- to the C-domain. However, recent studies have revealed that binding of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP₂) to the C-domain transforms arrestins into a pre-active state. Here, we aimed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying PIP₂-induced arrestin pre-activation. We compare the conformational changes of β-arrestin-2 upon binding of PIP₂ or phosphorylated C-tail peptide of vasopressin receptor type 2 using hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS). Introducing point mutations on the potential routes of the allosteric conformational changes and analyzing these mutant constructs with HDX-MS reveals that PIP₂-binding at the C-domain affects the back loop, which destabilizes the gate loop and βXX to transform β-arrestin-2 into the pre-active state.