Bioinformatics analysis of missense mutations in CXCR1 implicates altered protein stability and function

Abstract

Human CXCR1 is a G-protein α subunit i (Gαi)-coupled receptor (GPCR) that plays an important role in promoting leukocyte recruitment and activation in inflammatory regions; thus, its genetic contribution to human disorders warrants further investigation. In this study, we investigated whether oncogenic missense mutations in CXCR1 would affect its activity and hinder its ability to interact with its ligand. This study utilized a bioinformatics approach and employed precise and thorough computational methods to gain insights into the molecular characteristics of mutated CXCR1 that are responsible for causing diseases. I-TASSER was used to construct a mutant model with the required mutations. Schrödinger’s Desmond software was used to evaluate how mutations affect the stability and function of proteins. In this study, 299 CXCR1 missense mutations were examined; 53 of these were reported to be disease-causing, five of which were directly associated with cancer. The impact of the three cancer-causing mutations (N57D, R135C, and P302S) on protein stability and function was subsequently examined through computational analysis. Positions N57, R135, and P302 were determined to be highly conserved, and substitutions with aspartic acid (D), cysteine (C), and serine (S), respectively, could impair CXCR1 activity. Hence, our findings suggested that these mutations could alter CXCR1 ligand binding activity, lowering the risk of cancer and helping patients defend against pathogen invasion during a neutrophil-mediated innate immune response.