# On Vibronic-Driven Action and Mechanosensitive G Protein-Coupled Receptors

## TL;DR

A new way to activate cell signaling without traditional drug ligands is explored using light-responsive molecules.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel vibronic-driven activation of calcium signaling using plasmonic molecules.

## Key findings

- Cyanine-based molecules activated calcium signaling in multiple cell lines when excited with far-red light.
- This activation mimics Gq-coupled GPCR signaling but does not yet confirm GPCR involvement.
- The method is compared to other receptor activation techniques like nanoclustering and photodynamic activation.

## Abstract

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) are targeted by more than one third of the clinically available drugs as specific ligands. Important as GPCR ligands may be, cases of ligand-independent GPCR activation are also abundant. In a recent article published in the journal ACS Nano, a series of cyanine skeleton-based plasmonic molecules, or molecular jackhammer, as the authors christened them, after insertion into the plasma membrane, was found after excitation by far-red light (730 nm) to vibronically-driven activate Gq-mediated calcium signaling in four different cell lines of both epithelial and muscle cell origin, which is normally activated after agonist stimulation of Gq-coupled GPCR, but the possible involvement of GPCR remains to be examined. This novel mode of activation of calcium signaling, normally associated with agonist-stimulated GPCR activation, is compared to nanoclustering activation of the neuropeptide Y2 receptor and photodynamic activation of the cholecystokinin 1 and 2 receptors.