The G protein-gated atrial K+ channel is stimulated by three distinct Gi alpha-subunits

Go protein as signal transducer in the pertussis toxin-sensitive phosphatidylinositol pathway

Receptors stimulating phospholipase C do so through heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins to produce two second messengers, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) and diacylglycerol. In spite of the detailed understanding of phospholipase C structure and phosphatidyl inositol signalling, the identity of the GTP-binding protein involved is so far unknown. To address this issue, we have used the Xenopus oocyte in which muscarinic receptors couple to phospholipase C through a pertussis toxin-sensitive GTP-binding protein. In this cell, InsP3 mobilizes intracellular Ca2+ to evoke a Cl- current. The magnitude of this Cl- current is proportional to the amount of InsP3 in the cell, and therefore can be used as an assay for InsP3 production. We report here that the activated alpha-subunit of the GTP-binding protein GO, when directly injected into oocytes, evokes a Cl- current by mobilizing Ca2+ from intracellular InsP3-sensitive stores. We also show that holo-GO, when injected into oocytes, can specifically enhance the muscarinic receptor-stimulated Cl- current. These data indicate that GO can serve as the signal transducer of the receptor-regulated phospholipase C in Xenopus oocytes.

G protein mRNA expression in immunohistochemically identified dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons in the rat brain

A family of guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) is involved in the transduction of information from receptors on the cell surface into cellular responses. Two G proteins, Gi and Gs, were initially defined by their inhibitory or stimulatory actions on adenylyl cyclase, respectively. In addition, brain contains high levels of another G protein, Go. cDNAs for the alpha subunits for these G proteins have been cloned and sequenced. This allowed us to examine the distributions of the mRNAs for the alpha subunits for Gi, Go and Gs in the rat brain using in situ hybridization with radio-labelled, synthetic oligonucleotide probes. Various regions known to contain catecholamine cell groups displayed high levels of G protein mRNA. There is good physiological evidence supporting a role for G proteins in signal transduction in dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons. Therefore, further experiments were undertaken using in situ hybridization combined with immunohistochemistry to examine G proteins expression in identified catecholamine neurons. The results indicate that the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra and the noradrenergic neurons of the locus ceruleus express the mRNA for the alpha subunits of all three of these G proteins. These data provide evidence for the coexpression of multiple G proteins within identified catecholamine neurons in the brain.

Roles of G proteins in coupling of receptors to ionic channels and other effector systems

Guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins are heterotrimers that couple a wide range of receptors to ionic channels. The coupling may be indirect, via cytoplasmic agents, or direct, as has been shown for two K+ channels and two Ca2+ channels. One example of direct G protein gating is the atrial muscarinic K+ channel K+[ACh], an inwardly rectifying K+ channel with a slope conductance of 40 pS in symmetrical isotonic K+ solutions and a mean open lifetime of 1.4 ms at potentials between -40 and -100 mV. Another is the clonal GH3 muscarinic or somatostatin K+ channel, also inwardly rectifying but with a slope conductance of 55 pS. A G protein, Gk, purified from human red blood cells (hRBC) activates K+ [ACh] channels at subpicomolar concentrations; its alpha subunit is equipotent. Except for being irreversible, their effects on gating precisely mimic physiological gating produced by muscarinic agonists. The alpha k effects are general and are similar in atria from adult guinea pig, neonatal rat, and chick embryo. The hydrophilic beta gamma from transducin has no effect while hydrophobic beta gamma from brain, hRBCs, or retina has effects at nanomolar concentrations which in our hands cannot be dissociated from detergent effects. An anti-alpha k monoclonal antibody blocks muscarinic activation, supporting the concept that the physiological mediator is the alpha subunit not the beta gamma dimer. The techniques of molecular biology are now being used to specify G protein gating. A "bacterial" alpha i-3 expressed in Escherichia coli using a pT7 expression system mimics the gating produced by hRBC alpha k.

Requirement for G protein activity at a specific time during embryonic chick myogenesis

Signaling between embryonic myoblasts involves prostaglandin metabolism, the activation of a membrane receptor and changes in polyphosphatidyl inositol metabolism. Many of these membrane-localized events occur between 33 to 35 h of differentiation, concomitant with a dramatic change in membrane organization, in myoblast aggregates in culture. Since many receptors affect inositol phosphate metabolism by activating a GTP-binding protein (G protein), we asked if there was evidence for such a protein in myogenic signaling. We show that during the period of differentiation in culture when prostaglandin is needed to bind to a transient receptor, a pertussis toxin-sensitive but cholera toxin-insensitive G protein must act. If this activation is blocked, the characteristic change in myoblast cell adhesion and subsequent membrane fusion do not occur. We suggest that a G protein couples the activated prostaglandin receptor and the change in polyphosphatidyl inositol metabolism and that this membrane transduction step is necessary for subsequent membrane differentiation events during myogenesis.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 treatment of AKR-2B cells is coupled through a pertussis-toxin-sensitive G-protein(s)

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta 1) is a potent regulator of DNA synthesis and cellular proliferation. In this study, we investigated whether the growth stimulatory signal of TGF beta 1 is transduced intracellularly by guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G-proteins). In plasma membranes from AKR-2B cells, TGF beta 1 increased binding of the radiolabelled, non-hydrolysable GTP analogue, guanosine 5'-[gamma-[35S]thio]triphosphate (GTP[35S]), in a dose-dependent manner. Maximal effects occurred between 0.4 and 1.0 nM-TGF beta 1. Specific binding of GTP[35S] occurred with a Kd of 3.2 x 10(-8) M which was not affected by addition of TGF beta 1. Instead, TGF beta 1 increased the number of available binding sites for GTP[35S] from 16.2 +/- 1.2 to 21.6 +/- 2.1 pmol/mg of protein. GTP[35S] binding was both nucleotide- and growth-factor-specific. Only guanine nucleotides were able to compete for binding, and of the growth factors tested (epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, insulin, TGF beta 1 and TGF beta 2) only TGF beta 1 affected GTP[35S] binding. TGF beta 1 increased GTPase activity, as determined by the release of 32PO4(3-) from GTP gamma[32P], from 116 +/- 5.5 to 175 +/- 4.3 pmol/mg of protein following a 15 min incubation. Pretreatment of the membranes with pertussis toxin inhibited both TGF beta 1-stimulated binding of GTP[35S] as well as TGF beta 1-stimulated GTPase activity. These inhibitory actions of pertussis toxin were associated with toxin-induced ADP-ribosylation of a 41 kDa protein. Furthermore, the stimulatory effects of TGF beta 1 on c-sis mRNA expression were shown to be pertussis-toxin sensitive and could be mimicked by direct activation of G-proteins with AIF4-. These results demonstrate that in AKR-2B cells a pertussis-toxin-sensitive guanine nucleotide regulatory protein(s) is coupled to TGF beta 1 receptor binding.