Protein-ligand and membrane-ligand interactions in pharmacology: the case of the translocator protein (TSPO).

The targets of many small molecule drugs are membrane proteins, and traditionally the focus of pharmacology is on the interaction between such receptors and their small molecule drug ligands. However, the lipid membranes of cells and organelles are increasingly appreciated as diverse and dynamic structures that also specifically interact with small molecule drugs and peptides, causing profound changes in the properties of these membranes, and modulating the function of the membrane and the proteins within it. Drug-membrane interactions are likely to have a role in both the therapeutic and toxic activity of a variety of compounds, and their role in the overall pharmacological effect of a drug needs to be understood more clearly. This is the case for the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) and its ligands, where functions that were established based on pharmacological studies are being called into question. Re-examining the putative functions of the TSPO and the effects of its ligands reveals a need to consider in more detail the interplay between protein-ligand and membrane-ligand interactions, and the modulatory relationship between TSPO and the lipid membrane.