| 2013 |
GPR161 localizes to primary cilia in a Tulp3/IFT-A-dependent manner and constitutively increases cAMP levels, promoting PKA-dependent processing of Gli3 to its repressor form, thereby repressing Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling. Shh signaling directs GPR161 internalization from cilia, preventing its activity. |
Mouse knockout, cAMP reporter assays, Gli3 processing immunoblots, ciliary localization by immunofluorescence, epistasis with IFT-A/Tulp3 mutants |
Cell |
High |
23332756
|
| 2016 |
Shh pathway activation drives GPR161 removal from primary cilia in a two-step process: first, GRK2-mediated phosphorylation recruits β-arrestin to GPR161 (facilitated by ciliary Smoothened activation increasing GPR161-β-arrestin binding); second, clathrin-mediated endocytosis outside the cilium completes removal. |
β-arrestin recruitment assays, GRK2 inhibition/knockdown, clathrin inhibition, live-cell imaging, co-immunoprecipitation |
The Journal of cell biology |
High |
27002170
|
| 2016 |
GPR161 functions as an A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP) that directly binds type I PKA regulatory subunits (RI) via a hydrophobic interface in its cytoplasmic C-terminal tail. This binary complex compartmentalizes PKA to the plasma membrane and to primary cilia. GPR161 is itself a PKA phosphorylation target, and mutation of the PKA phosphorylation site affects its ciliary localization. |
Phosphoproteomics, cell-based protein-protein interaction reporters, direct binding assays, zebrafish in vivo rescue experiments, site-directed mutagenesis |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
High |
27357676
|
| 2014 |
GPR161 forms a signaling complex with β-arrestin 2 and IQGAP1 (a regulator of mTORC1 and E-cadherin). GPR161 overexpression activates mTORC1 signaling, decreases IQGAP1 phosphorylation, and promotes cell proliferation, migration, and intracellular accumulation of E-cadherin in mammary epithelial cells. |
Co-immunoprecipitation, knockdown/overexpression functional assays, 3D culture, signaling pathway analysis |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Medium |
24599592
|
| 2008 |
A C-terminal truncation mutation in Gpr161 (vacuolated lens allele) reduces receptor-mediated endocytosis and causes neural tube defects and cataracts in mice, establishing the C-terminal tail as required for normal endocytic trafficking. |
Positional cloning, endocytosis assays in mutant cells, mouse genetic analysis |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Medium |
18250320
|
| 2019 |
The IFT-B subunit IFT38 directly interacts with BBSome subunits BBS1, BBS2, and BBS9. This IFT-B–BBSome interaction is required for export of GPR161 from cilia upon Hedgehog signaling activation; cells expressing an IFT38 mutant that cannot bind the BBSome accumulate GPR161 within cilia. |
Visible immunoprecipitation assay, IFT38 knockout cell lines, rescue with wild-type vs. interaction-deficient IFT38 mutants, immunofluorescence |
Biology open |
High |
31471295
|
| 2018 |
Gpr161 deletion in mouse neural stem cells or granule cell (GC) progenitors increases Shh pathway activity by restricting Gli3-mediated repression, causing excessive GC progenitor proliferation and medulloblastoma; the overproduction phenotype is cilium-dependent. |
Conditional knockout mouse models (neural stem cell- and GC progenitor-specific), cilium-dependency tested by genetic cilia ablation, pathway analysis |
Cell reports |
High |
29386106
|
| 2018 |
Limb-specific deletion of Gpr161 causes premature expansion of Shh signaling and ectopic Shh-dependent patterning defects; loss of Gpr161 in chondrocytes prevents columnar differentiation and Ihh signaling. All limb and skeletal morphogenesis defects are suppressed in the absence of cilia, placing Gpr161 upstream of cilia-dependent hedgehog signaling in these tissues. |
Conditional knockout mice, genetic epistasis with cilia mutants, histological and molecular analysis of signaling |
Development (Cambridge, England) |
High |
29222391
|
| 2021 |
A ciliary localization-defective but cAMP-signaling-competent knock-in variant of Gpr161 (Gpr161mut1) shows that ciliary and extraciliary pools of Gpr161 establish tissue-specific Gli repressor thresholds: loss of ciliary localization causes intermediate neural tube progenitor expansion (Gli3 repressor-dependent) but not the ventral-most Gli2 activator-dependent expansion seen in full knockouts. Polydactyly and midfacial widening result from loss of ciliary localization. |
Knock-in mouse engineering, conditional allele comparisons (KO vs. cilia-defective mutant), immunofluorescence, pathway target analysis |
eLife |
High |
34346313
|
| 2024 |
Cryo-EM structure of active human GPR161 bound to heterotrimeric Gs revealed: (1) extracellular loop 2 occupies the canonical orthosteric ligand pocket; (2) a sterol binds adjacent to transmembrane helices 6 and 7 and stabilizes the Gs-coupling conformation—mutations preventing sterol binding suppress cAMP signaling but retain the ability to suppress GLI2 accumulation in cilia; (3) the PKA-binding site in the GPR161 C-terminus is critical for suppressing GLI2 ciliary accumulation. |
Cryo-EM structure determination, site-directed mutagenesis of sterol-binding site and PKA-binding site, cAMP assays, GLI2 ciliary accumulation assays |
Nature structural & molecular biology |
High |
38326651
|
| 2021 |
PKA feedback phosphorylation of Gpr161 fine-tunes its ciliary localization and PKA activity. PKA phosphorylation-deficient Gpr161 shows increased sensitivity to Shh, resulting in excess high-level Hh target gene expression in zebrafish, demonstrating a feedback loop controlling Gpr161 activity. |
Zebrafish loss-of-function, transgenic rescue with phosphorylation-deficient Gpr161 mutants, BRET-based Gαs coupling assay, Hh target gene expression analysis |
Development (Cambridge, England) |
Medium |
33531430
|
| 2019 |
Novel rare GPR161 variants identified in spina bifida patients mislocalize to primary cilia, dysregulate Shh and Wnt signaling, and inhibit cell proliferation in vitro, acting as dominant negatives. |
Sanger sequencing, in vitro ciliary localization by immunofluorescence, Shh/Wnt pathway reporter assays, cell proliferation assays |
Human molecular genetics |
Medium |
30256984
|
| 2021 |
Gpr161 is a mechanoresponsive receptor in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that localizes to the primary cilium and mediates fluid shear stress-induced cAMP signaling and osteogenesis through adenylyl cyclase 6 (AC6). Hh signaling downstream of this Gpr161-AC6-cAMP axis is required for loading-induced osteogenic differentiation. |
Fluid shear stress assay, siRNA knockdown of Gpr161, AC6, and IFT88, cAMP measurement, osteogenesis assays |
Bone |
Medium |
33450431
|
| 2025 |
GPR161 acts as a mechanical sensor at the primary cilium with its helix 8 being essential for mechanosensitivity. Fluid shear stress activates GPR161, triggering a cAMP/PKA signaling cascade that phosphorylates NDE1 (a dynein complex regulator) and reorganizes microtubules to drive the saltatory migration of neurons. |
Ex vivo neuronal migration model, microfluidic assays, helix 8 mutagenesis, NDE1 phosphorylation analysis, live imaging |
Science advances |
Medium |
40737401
|
| 2025 |
β-arrestins (ARRB1 and ARRB2) are required for GPR161 export from cilia. Activation-mimetic β-arrestin mutants interact with both the BBSome and ciliary GPR161 and cause constitutive GPR161 export. GRK2 phosphorylates GPR161 to recruit β-arrestins, which in their activated conformation interact with the BBSome to connect GPR161 to the IFT machinery for export. |
ARRB1/ARRB2 double-knockout cells, expression of activation-mimetic β-arrestin mutants, co-immunoprecipitation, IFT27/BBSome-KO analysis, immunofluorescence |
Journal of cell science |
High |
40384633
|
| 2024 |
Fuz is genetically epistatic to Gpr161 in Shh signaling during mouse neural tube development. The Fuz protein biochemically interacts with GPR161, and Fuz regulates GPR161-mediated ciliary localization through a mechanism involving β-arrestin 2. |
Double-mutant epistasis in mice, co-immunoprecipitation, ciliary localization assays, β-arrestin 2 functional analysis |
Development (Cambridge, England) |
Medium |
39369306
|
| 2025 |
Cranial neural tube closure requires GPR161 ciliary localization for GLI3 repressor (GLI3R) formation. Epistasis experiments show that Gli3R expression, but not Gli2 loss, rescues exencephaly in Gpr161 knockout mice. GLI3R restricts forebrain ventral floor plate expansion and mediates apical constriction in lateral midbrain neural folds prior to closure. |
Gpr161 mutant allelic series, genetic epistasis (Gpr161 KO × GLI effector mutants), non-ciliary Gpr161 knock-in, in toto live imaging |
Development (Cambridge, England) |
High |
41417007
|
| 2015 |
In the context of a hypomorphic Gpr161 allele, Gpr161 regulates retinoic acid (RA) and canonical Wnt pathway gene expression during neurulation independently of severe Shh pathway effects. RA injection rescues Wnt markers and neural tube defects in Gpr161 hypomorphs. |
QRT-PCR, ISH, IHC, RA injection rescue experiments, modifier QTL analysis in mice |
Developmental biology |
Medium |
25753732
|