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J Biol Chem, Vol. 273, Issue 44, 28597-28602, October 30, 1998
-Subunit

-MEDIATED SIGNALING*
§¶,
,
, and

From the
Department of Pharmacology, Yale University
School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536, the
** Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven,
Connecticut 06520, and the
Department of Cellular and Molecular
Pharmacology, University of California,
San Francisco, California 94143
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ABSTRACT |
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G proteins transmit signals from cell surface
receptors to intracellular effectors. The intensity of the signal is
governed by the rates of GTP binding (leading to subunit dissociation) and hydrolysis. Mutants that cannot hydrolyze GTP (e.g.
Gs The actions of many hormones and neurotransmitters are mediated
through a cell surface receptor, heterotrimeric "G protein," and an
intracellular effector that propagates the signal. Upon agonist binding
to the receptor, G Not surprisingly, disturbances in the cycle of G protein activation and
inactivation can lead to disease. The severe and often fatal diarrhea
associated with cholera is caused by the pathogenic exotoxin of
Vibrio cholerae (cholera toxin) which promotes
ADP-ribosylation of Gs G proteins can transform cells in at least two ways. First, mutations
in G A strikingly similar signaling cascade has been identified through
genetic analysis of the mating response pathway in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Haploid yeast cells secrete small
peptide pheromones that bind to G protein coupled receptors. The G
protein A principal goal of pharmacology is to identify drugs that bypass or
otherwise compensate for the molecular defects that lead to disease.
One emerging strategy is to use genetics to identify protein binding
partners of a dysfunctional gene product because any interacting
proteins represent alternative (nonmutated) targets for drug therapy
(8). Another approach has been to screen for second-site mutations that
compensate for the primary defect in a gene. Genetic suppression of a
disease-causing mutant provides strong presumptive evidence that
pharmacological suppression can also be achieved (9). Indeed, a
strategically designed genetic screen can be used to search for drugs
having a similar compensatory effect. If structural information is
available, it may even be possible to design drugs that mimic the
effect of the second-site suppressor mutations.
Past efforts to find second-site suppressors of transforming Ras or
G-protein mutants have been unsuccessful (9). Here, we have exploited
the genetic tractability of yeast to identify intragenic suppressors of
a GTPase-deficient mutant, Gpa1Q323L. Our goal was to find
mutants that are locked in the inactive conformation, in both the
absence and presence of GTP. Our expectation was that mutations that
block subunit dissociation would inhibit G Strains, Plasmids, Mutagenesis--
Established methods were
used for the growth of bacteria Escherichia coli and the
manipulation of plasmids (10). All molecular biology reagents were
purchased from New England Biolabs and used according to manufacturer
instructions. Yeast expression plasmids were pRS316, pRS316-GPA1 (11),
pG1501, and pG1501-GPA1 (12). The transcription reporter plasmid was
pBJ207 (13), which contains the lacZ gene under the control of
FUS1 promoter (14, 15). The bacterial expression plasmid was
pET15b (Novagen) (16). The mammalian G
Gpa1 and mammalian G Gpa1 Functional Assays--
Plate growth inhibition (halo)
assays and transcription-induction ( cAMP Assay--
cAMP accumulation in intact cells was assayed as
described (6, 25). Briefly, 24 h after transfection, cells were
replated in 24-well plates at 1.5 × 105 cells/well
and labeled with [3H]adenine (4 µCi/ml, Amersham
Pharmacia Biotech) for an additional 24 h. After pretreatment with
pertussis toxin (where indicated, PTX, 200 ng/ml for 4 h), cells
were washed with medium and stimulated with the appropriate agonist in
the presence of isobutylmethylxanthine for 25 min. cAMP and ATP
fractions were resolved, and cAMP accumulation was estimated by
determining the ratio of cAMP radioactivity to the sum of radioactivity
of cAMP and ATP.
Inositol Phosphate Accumulation--
Inositol phosphate (IP)
accumulation in intact cells was assayed as described (26, 27).
Briefly, 24 h after transfection, cells were replated in 24-well
plates at 1.5 × 105 cells/well and labeled with
myo-[3H]inositol (6 µCi/ml, Amersham
Pharmacia Biotech) for 24 h. After washing with a medium
containing 5 mM LiCl for 10 min, cells were incubated with
the appropriate agonist in the presence of 5 mM LiCl for 45 min. IP and total inositol fractions were resolved on a Dowex AG 1-X8
formate column (Bio-Rad), and IP accumulation was estimated by
determining the ratio of IP radioactivity to the sum of radioactivity
of IP and total inositol.
Measurement of p44 HA-MAPK Activity--
HA-MAPK activity was
assayed as described (26, 28) with modifications. Cells were
transfected in 6-well plates at 7 × 105 cells/well,
placed in serum-free medium after 28 h, and assayed after an
additional 20 h. After pretreatment with PTX (where indicated, 200 ng/ml for 4 h), cells were stimulated with the appropriate agonist
for 8 min. HA-MAPK was immunoprecipitated from cell lysates (300 µl,
representing 4 × 105 cells) with 2 µg of 12CA5
antibody and 35 µl of protein A-agarose (50% slurry). After washing
once with lysis buffer and once with kinase buffer, the agarose beads
were incubated at 22 °C for 20 min in 50 µl of kinase buffer (28)
containing 250 µg/ml myelin basic protein and 50 µM
[ Screening for Intragenic Suppressors of
gpa1Q323L--
Our objective here was to identify
dominant-negative-type inhibitors of Gpa1 Mutants Inhibit the Mating Response Pathway in
Yeast--
Complementation of gpa1 Inhibition of G
We constructed versions of Gi2
As shown in Fig. 3, all three
Gi2
Having determined that Gi2
The results presented in Figs. 3 and 4A reveal that
Gi2 Biochemical Properties of the Gpa1R327S
Mutant--
The Arg-to-Ser mutation leads to a dramatic,
dominant-negative-type inhibition of G Using a genetic screening strategy in yeast, we have isolated
dominant-negative mutations that potently inhibit G These results can be interpreted in the context of the available
crystal structures of Gt (transducin) (40-43) and
Gi1 (44). Those studies revealed three regions in
G
Q227L,
Gi2
Q205L) are constitutively activated and
can lead to cell transformation and cancer. Here we have used a genetic
screen to identify intragenic suppressors of a GTPase-deficient form of
the G
in yeast, Gpa1Q323L. Sequencing revealed
second-site mutations in three conserved residues, K54E, R327S, and
L353
(codon deletion). Each mutation alone results in a complete
loss of the 
-mediated mating response in yeast, indicating a
dominant-negative mode of inhibition. Likewise, the corresponding
mutations in a mammalian Gi2
(K46E, R209S, L235
) lead
to inhibition of G
-mediated mitogen-activated protein (MAP)
kinase phosphorylation in cultured cells. The most potent of these

inhibitors (R209S) has no effect on Gi2
-mediated regulation of adenylyl cyclase. Despite its impaired ability to release

, purified recombinant Gpa1R327S is fully competent
to bind and hydrolyze GTP. These mutants will be useful for uncoupling
G
- and G
-mediated signaling events in whole cells and animals.
In addition, they serve as a model for drugs that could directly
inhibit G protein activity and cell transformation.
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INTRODUCTION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials & Methods
Results
Discussion
References
undergoes guanine nucleotide exchange and a
conformational change leading to dissociation from 
. The subunits
remain in the active state until GTP is hydrolyzed, at which time they
reassociate and signaling stops.
in the gut epithelium. Similarly,
whooping cough is caused by a toxin from Bordetella
pertusssis and ADP-ribosylation of Gi
(1). A number
of germ line and somatic cell defects in G
proteins have also been
described. These include both activating and inactivating mutations,
which can sometimes lead to cell transformation and cancer (2-4). An
early example of an activated G protein allele was described by Landis,
et al. (5), who showed that certain types of human pituitary
tumors are associated with GTPase-deficient mutants of
Gs
. Another inherited disorder, known as
pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ia, is associated with
loss-of-function mutations in Gs
(R231H, A366S).
Interestingly, Gs
A366S is unstable
and inactive at 37 °C but is stable and constitutively active at the
slightly lower temperature of the male testis, resulting in a
paradoxical combination of pseudohypoparathyroidism and
testotoxicosis in affected individuals (6).
can lead to direct activation of certain effector enzymes,
which promote cell proliferation. However, this mechanism appears to be
operative in only a minority of cases (3). Alternatively, activating
mutations in G
can lead to constitutive dissociation from G
.
The ability of 
subunits to promote cell proliferation occurs
through activation of small GTP-binding proteins such as Rac and Ras,
which in turn lead to the activation of Jun and mitogen-activated protein (MAP)1 kinases,
respectively (3).
subunit (GPA1 gene product, Gpa1) does not
directly activate any known effector; rather it is 
(Ste4/Ste18)
that activates a signaling cascade that includes a MAP kinase
homologue, Fus3. This in turn triggers a coordinated series of events
required for mating, including cell fusion, new gene transcription, and cell cycle arrest in G1 (7).

signaling in a
dominant manner. Significantly, the mutations identified in Gpa1 have
similar properties when introduced into mammalian G
subunits. These
findings illustrate the utility of the yeast system to identify G
protein mutants with highly selective, and highly potent dominant
negative properties.
![]()
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials & Methods
Results
Discussion
References
expression plasmid was
pcDNA1amp (containing EE-epitope tagged versions of
Gi
, Gs
, and Gq
) (17, 18). Other mammalian receptor expression vectors are described in the references provided below.
mutants were constructed by
oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (Altered Sites, Promega) and
expressed in plasmids pRS316 and pG1501 (Gpa1). Construction of
Gpa1Q323L was described previously (19). Other mutant
oligonucleotide sequences are as follows:
Gs
R231S, 5'-GGC GGC CAG CGC GAT GAA TCT AGA
AAG TGG ATC CAG TGC; Gq
R207S, 5'-GGG GGC CAA
AGG TCA GAG TCG CGA AAA TGG ATA CAC TGC;
Gi2
R205S, 5'-GCA GTG GAT CCA CTT CTT GCT CTC
AGA TCT CTG ACC ACC; Gi2
K46E, 5'-CTG CTT GAC
GAT AGT ACT CTC CCC TGA TTC TCC AGC ACC;
Gi2
L235
, 5'-CAT CTC CTC ATC CTC AGC CAC
GAA GTC ATA TGC GCT CAA; Gpa1R327S, 5'-ACA ATG AAT CCA CTT
CTT ACT TTC AGA TCT CTG CCC ACC; Gpa1K54E, 5'-GGT GCC GGT
GAG TCA GGT GAA AGT ACT GTT TTA AAA CAA; and Gpa1L353
,
5'-GTT CTC GAC GCT GGA GGG CAG CGT TCT GAA CGT AAG AAG.
Gpa1E364K was obtained from David Stone (University of
Illinois, Chicago) (20). All polymerase chain reaction amplification
products and mutants were verified by DNA sequencing (Keck
Biotechnology Facility, Yale University). Saccharomyces
cerevisiae strains used in this study were: YDK499
(bar1::hisG, derived from YPH499 (21)) (Jeremy Thorner, University of California, Berkeley), and YGS5 (11). COS-7
cells, maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's-H21 medium containing 10% calf serum, were transiently transfected by the DEAE-adenovirus method (22, 23). CHO cells were maintained in minimal
essential medium
without nucleotides, containing 10% fetal calf
serum, and transfected as described for COS-7.
-galactosidase) assays were
carried out as described by Dohlman et al. (24).
Purification of recombinant Gpa1, time course measurement of
[35S]
-GTP
S binding, and measurements of steady
state hydrolysis of [
-32P]GTP were performed as
described by Apanovitch et al. (16).
-32P]ATP (2 µCi/tube, 700 cpm/pmol, NEN Life
Science Products). The reaction was stopped with 5 µl of 88% formic
acid, and radioactivity incorporated into myelin basic protein was
determined by filtration on Whatman P81 membranes (28).
![]()
RESULTS
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials & Methods
Results
Discussion
References

-mediated signaling. Our
approach was to screen for intragenic suppressors of a GTPase-deficient
allele, gpa1Q323L. To this end, the
gpa1Q323L mutant was expressed using the
galactose-inducible GAL1/10 promoter (plasmid pG1501) in
cells lacking GPA1 (gpa1
, strain
YGS5). The gpa1
mutation ordinarily leads to constitutive
signaling and cell division arrest; however, YGS5 is viable at 34 °C
because of a temperature-sensitive mutation that blocks the signal
downstream of 
(ste11ts). Cells were
initially maintained in galactose medium at 34 °C and then plated
and shifted to 24 °C. Rare colonies that grew under these
restrictive conditions were picked, patched, and tested for
galactose-dependent growth (Fig.
1, top). Plasmids were
isolated from 68 independent colonies and tested for retention of the
original Q323L substitution (by restriction digestion). Ten plasmids
that satisfied these criteria were sequenced across the entire
GPA1 open reading frame. As expected, all retained the Q323L
mutation, and all contained one additional mutation at a second
position. Two of these were codon substitutions (K54E, R327S) and one
was a codon deletion (L353
). We then examined the properties of each mutant without overexpression, in the absence or presence of the Q323L
substitution. Single-site and double-site mutations were prepared and
expressed using a low copy plasmid (pRS316) and the normal
GPA1 promoter. In this case, single-site mutants were able to complement the gpa1
mutation but the Q323L and
double-site mutants could not (Fig. 1, and data not shown).

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Fig. 1.
Gpa1 mutants can rescue
gpa1
. Complementation of gpa1
was
used to determine whether the Gpa1 mutants bind G
in
vivo. Strain YGS5 (gpa1
ste11ts) was transformed with an overexpression
plasmid (pG1501, top) or a normal expression
plasmid (pRS316, bottom) containing wild-type
Gpa1(WT), GTPase-deficient Gpa1Q323L
(QL), Gpa1Q323L+R327S
(QL/RS), Gpa1R327S (RS),
or vector alone (V). Cells were grown at 34 °C
(left) or shifted to 24 °C (right) to activate
the signaling pathway. Identical results were obtained for the
Q323L+K54E and Q323L+L353
mutants (data not shown).
reflects an ability
of each mutant to bind 
in vivo. We then tested the
ability of the mutants to inhibit receptor-dependent
signaling in a GPA1+ strain. In this case, all
three single-site mutants led to a complete inhibition of pheromone
response (determined by the growth inhibition "halo assay," Fig.
2A). The double mutants can
also inhibit pheromone signaling (and will even complement
gpa1
) but only when overexpressed (data not shown). In
comparison, a 2-fold overexpression of wild-type GPA1 led to
a more modest inhibition of the pheromone response, and the double-site
mutants were without effect (Fig. 2A). The mutant and
wild-type forms of Gpa1 were expressed at equal levels, as determined
by immunoblotting (data not shown). Similar results were obtained using
a pheromone-induced transcription reporter assay (FUS1
promoter, lacZ reporter; Fig. 2B).

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Fig. 2.
Gpa1 mutants block pheromone signaling in a
dominant-negative manner. Pheromone-dependent growth
arrest (panel A) and transcription (panel B)
assays were used to determine whether the Gpa1 mutants interfere with
pheromone-dependent signaling in vivo. Strain
YDK499 (bar1) was transformed with a transcription reporter
plasmid (FUS1 promoter, lacZ gene) and pRS316 containing
wild-type Gpa1(WT, open squares), Gpa1Q323L (QL,
open circles), Gpa1Q323L+R327S (QL/RS,
closed triangles), Gpa1R327S (RS, closed
squares), or vector (closed circles). Cells were plated
and exposed to filter discs containing 15 µg of
-factor for
48 h (panel A), or grown in liquid medium and exposed
to a range of
-factor concentrations (panel B). The
induced expression of lacZ product (
-galactosidase) was measured
after 70 min and is expressed in arbitrary (Miller) units, as detailed
under "Materials and Methods." Data shown are representative of at
least two independent experiments, with similar results. Identical
results were obtained for the Q323L+K54E and Q323L+L353
mutants (data not shown).

-mediated MAP Kinase Activity in COS-7
Cells--
The results presented in Figs. 1 and 2 reveal that all
three single-site mutants will complement a gpa1
mutant
and can inhibit signaling even in the presence of wild-type Gpa1,
consistent with a dominant-negative mode of action. We then examined if
the corresponding mutations in a mammalian G
would also inhibit

signaling in cultured cells, using the MAP kinase
phosphorylation assay as a read out. Gi2
was chosen for
these experiments because it does not regulate MAP kinase activity
directly, in contrast to Gq and Gs (28).
with the K46E, R209S, and
L235
mutations and transfected these together with the D2-dopamine receptor and an epitope-tagged version of MAP kinase (HA-MAPK). MAP
kinase activity was measured after immunoprecipitation by monitoring
incorporation of 32P to myelin basic protein.
mutants reduced basal MAP kinase activity by
~20%, as compared with control (empty vector) transfected COS-7
cells. Upon stimulation with a D2 agonist quinpirole, phosphorylation
was attenuated 20-40% by the mutants, with R209S being the most
potent inhibitor. In comparison, two known inhibitors of 
binding
the 
-binding domain of
-adrenergic receptor kinase (
ARK
) and the transducin
subunit
(
t)
inhibited basal phosphorylation by ~30% and
quinpirole-stimulated activity by 50-60%. Similar results were
obtained using transfected CHO cells (Fig. 3B). Wild-type Gi2
does not inhibit 
signaling (data not shown),
presumably because the wild-type protein responds normally to
activation by the receptor.

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Fig. 3.
Gi2
mutants inhibit

-mediated MAP kinase activation. All three
Gi2
mutants were tested for their ability to inhibit MAP
kinase activity under basal and quinpirole-stimulated conditions. COS-7
cells (panel A) or CHO cells (panel B) were
transfected with expression plasmids containing the D2-dopamine
receptor, hCG receptor (CHO only), HA-epitope-tagged MAP kinase, and
either the 
-binding domain of
ARK (
ARK
),
transducin
subunit (
t),
Gi2
R209S
(
iRS),
Gi2
K46E
(
iKE), or
Gi2
L235
(
iL
), as indicated. Quinpirole
(Quin) stimulation of MAP kinase (HA-MAPK) activity was
measured after immunoprecipitation by monitoring incorporation of
32P to myelin basic protein, as detailed under "Materials
and Methods."
ARK
and transducin (
t)
are known inhibitors of G
signaling. Pertussis toxin
(PTX) is a known inhibitor of Gi
.
R209S potently
inhibits 
-mediated signaling, we also examined if the mutant has
any effect on G
-mediated signaling events. CHO cells were
transfected with Gi2
R209S, the D2 dopamine
receptor, and the luteinizing hormone/hCG receptor. Whereas,
Gi2
R209S inhibited
agonist-dependent MAP kinase activity by ~40% (Fig. 3B), the same mutant had no effect on hCG-mediated
stimulation (via Gs) or quinpirole-mediated inhibition (via
Gi) of adenylyl cyclase (Fig.
4A). In comparison, signaling
via Gi
was potently and selectively inhibited by PTX
treatment.

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Fig. 4.
G
R
S mutants do not
interfere with G
-effector coupling. CHO cells were transfected
with expression plasmids containing the D2-dopamine receptor,
hCG-receptor, M2-muscarinic receptor, and either
Gi2
R209S
(
iRS),
Gs
R231S
(
sRS), or
Gq
R207S
(
qRS), as described for Fig.
3B. Quinpirole (Quin) inhibition of
hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity (panel A),
hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity (panel B), or
carbachol-stimulated inositol phosphate (IP) production
(panel C) was measured, as detailed under "Materials and
Methods."
R209S can inhibit signaling through

but not through G
. We also examined whether the corresponding
mutations in Gs
and Gq
would behave similarly, at least with respect to G
-mediated signaling events. Gs
R231S did not alter hCG-stimulated
(Gs
-mediated) production of cAMP (Fig. 4B);
and Gq
R207S had no effect on
carbachol-stimulated (Gq
-mediated) inositol phosphate
production (Fig. 4C). Thus the Arg-to-Ser mutation does not
interfere with coupling between receptors and the endogenous (wild-type) G
, or between G
and its downstream effectors, in all
three cases tested.

activity, at least in the
two cases where this could be measured (Gpa1R327S,
Gi2
R209S). There are at least two ways that
such a mutant could block 
signaling. First, it could alter the
conformation or subunit binding affinity of G
for 
. Second, it
could simply prevent binding to GTP. To rule out this more trivial
explanation, two types of experiments were performed using purified
recombinant Gpa1R327S. First, we measured the rate of
pseudo-irreversible binding of [35S]GTP
S, which is
limited by the rate of GDP dissociation (16, 29). As shown in Fig.
5A, Gpa1R327S is
able to exchange GDP for GTP
S. As a second measure of GTP binding,
we determined the steady state rate of GTP hydrolysis by Gpa1, which
also reflects the rate of guanine nucleotide exchange (29). As shown in
Fig. 5B, the overall rate of GTP hydrolysis by
Gpa1R327S is comparable with that of wild-type. Thus there
is no evidence that the R327S substitution prevents GTP binding to
Gpa1.

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Fig. 5.
Gpa1R297S can bind and hydrolyze
GTP. Gpa1 (WT, open squares),
Gpa1R327S (RS, closed squares), and
Gpa1Q323L (QL, open circles) were
purified from E. coli and compared in their ability to bind
and hydrolyze GTP. A, protein was incubated with
[35S]GTP
S (5 µM), and the percent of
bound nucleotide was measured at the indicated times by membrane
filtration. B, protein was incubated with
[
-32P]GTP (5 µM), and
32Pi was measured by charcoal adsorption. Data
shown are the average of duplicate measurements and are representative
of at least two independent experiments.
![]()
DISCUSSION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials & Methods
Results
Discussion
References

-effector coupling and yet do not interfere with coupling between the receptor and G
, or between G
and its effector. This is in contrast to previously described dominant-negative alleles (e.g.
Gs
G226A, Gs
G49V)
which do affect receptor-G
coupling (30-36). Other mutants have more selective inhibitory effects on G
signaling
(Go
S47C,
Go
N270D), but these are only modestly better
than wild-type G
at inhibiting 
function (37). Analogous
mutations in yeast (Gpa1G322L, Gpa1N388D,
Gpa1G50V) have similar, weakly dominant-negative properties
in vivo (20, 36, 38, 39). None of these mutations were found
in our screen and have never been shown to suppress a GTPase-deficient
allele of G
. The highly selective nature of our mutants must stem in part from the powerful selection process used for their identification. Specifically, all three mutants were screened for their ability to suppress an activating mutation in G
, a mutation that acts downstream of (and independently of) the receptor.

designated switch I, II, and III
that exhibit significant
conformational differences in the active (G
-GTP
S-bound),
transition (G
-GDP-AlF4
), and inactive
(G
-GDP-
) states. All three switch regions contribute to the
binding of guanine nucleotides and G
and are extremely well
conserved among all heterotrimeric G proteins including Gpa1. On the
basis of these structures, the dominant-negative activity of all three
mutants can be rationalized. Thus, K54E results in a charge reversal,
introducing a negatively charged side chain in the guanine nucleotide
binding pocket and possibly interfering with binding to the
phosphate of GTP (Fig. 6A).
This mutation could compensate for the loss of GTPase activity by
simply binding GDP preferentially over GTP. The Leu deletion would
shorten a loop that constrains the switch II helix in a conformation
needed for dissociation of 
(Fig. 6, B versus
C). Finally, R327S is likely to disrupt an ion-pair
interaction (in the GTP-bound state) between the guanidinium of Arg-327
and the carboxylate of Glu-364. The loss of this high energy
interaction could also perturb the conformational change needed for
release of 
(Fig. 6, B versus C). Indeed, a substitution at the corresponding Arg of
Gs
(R231H) is associated with pseudohypoparathyroidism
type Ia and exhibits a loss-of-function phenotype in cultured cells
(22, 45). A substitution of the ion-pair partner, E268A, has a similar
phenotype.2

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Fig. 6.
Structural localization of the second-site
suppressor mutations. The location of each Gpa1 mutation is shown
in the context of the Gt
crystal structure (40-43).
Residues are numbered according to the Gpa1 sequence. A,
K54E (K42 in Gt
) results in a charge reversal in the
guanine nucleotide binding pocket, near the
phosphate of GTP.
B, L353
(L230 in Gt
) would shorten the
loop that connects the
4 strand and the
3 helix
(above), thereby altering the conformation of the
2 helix
(below) that binds to 
. R327S is likely to disrupt an
ion-pair interaction between the guanidinium of R327 (
2 helix) and
the carboxylate of E364 (
3 helix) (R204, E241 in Gt
).
C, same as panel B but in the GTP-bound state
showing the conformational change in the
2 helix (switch II
domain).
Several challenges remain. Currently we are co-expressing the
Arg-to-Ser mutant (as Gi
) with oncogenic receptors, G
proteins, and effectors in cell culture to determine its ability to
block MAP kinase signaling and cell transformation. A long term goal is
to express these mutants in animals, to determine how inhibition of
G
signaling affects their growth and behavior in vivo.
These experiments will help to distinguish G
- versus
G
-mediated signaling processes in a variety of systems, from
yeast to humans.
| |
FOOTNOTES |
|---|
* This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants GM 55316 (to H. G. D.), GM27800, and CA54427 (to H. R. B.) and by American Cyanamid Company (to H. G. D.).The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
§ Contributed equally to this work.
¶ American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow (CT-96-FW-32).

Established Investigator of the American Heart Association. To
whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Pharmacology, Boyer
Center for Molecular Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 295 Congress Ave., New Haven, CT 06536-0812; Tel.: 203-737-2203; Fax:
203-737-2290; E-mail: henrik.dohlman{at}yale.edu.
The abbreviations used are: MAP, mitogen-activated protein; HA, hemagglutinin; hCG, chorionic gonadotropin; Quin, quinpirole; PTX, pertussis toxin; Carb, carbachol; cAMP, cyclic adenosine monophosphate; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; IP, inositol phosphate; CHO, Chinese hamster ovary.
2 T. Iiri and H. R. Bourne, unpublished data.
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REFERENCES |
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T. R. Garrison, Y. Zhang, M. Pausch, D. Apanovitch, R. Aebersold, and H. G. Dohlman Feedback Phosphorylation of an RGS Protein by MAP Kinase in Yeast J. Biol. Chem., December 17, 1999; 274(51): 36387 - 36391. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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T. Iiri, S. M. Bell, T. J. Baranski, T. Fujita, and H. R. Bourne A Gsalpha mutant designed to inhibit receptor signaling through Gs PNAS, January 19, 1999; 96(2): 499 - 504. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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