title: Functional role of a cytoplasmic aromatic amino acid in muscarinic receptor-mediated activation of phospholipase C.
abstract: The N-terminal portion of the third intracellular loop (i3) of muscarinic acetylcholine and other G protein-coupled receptors has been shown to largely determine the G protein coupling profile of a given receptor subtype. Using the rat m3 muscarinic receptor as a model system, we have recently demonstrated that a tyrosine residue (Tyr-254), located at the beginning of the i3 domain, is critically involved in muscarinic receptor-mediated stimulation of phosphatidylinositol (PI) hydrolysis (Blüml, K., Mutschler, E., and Wess, J. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 402-405). This study was designed to investigate the functional role of this amino acid in further molecular detail. Replacement of Tyr-254 (rat m3 receptor) with alanine or exchange of its position with Ile-253 virtually abolished receptor-mediated stimulation of PI hydrolysis studied in transfected COS-7 cells. In contrast, substitution of Tyr-254 by other aromatic residues such as phenylalanine or tryptophan resulted in mutant receptors that behaved functionally similar to the wild type m3 receptor. Introduction of Tyr-254 into the corresponding position (Ser-210) of the m2 muscarinic receptor (which is only poorly coupled to PI turnover) did not result in an enhanced PI response. However, "reinsertion" of Tyr-254 into a functionally inactive chimeric m3/m2 muscarinic receptor (containing m2 receptor sequence at the N terminus of the i3 loop) yielded a mutant receptor that was able to stimulate PI hydrolysis to a similar maximum extent as the wild type m3 receptor. Taken together, our data provide strong evidence that muscarinic receptor-mediated stimulation of PI metabolism is critically dependent on the presence and proper positioning of an aromatic residue at the beginning of the i3 loop.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, NIDDKD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blüml
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mutschler
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wess
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002217:Carbachol / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D019832:N-Methylscopolamine; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D051381:Rats; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012602:Scopolamine Derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014443:Tyrosine
chemical_list: D010716:Phosphatidylinositols; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D012602:Scopolamine Derivatives; D014443:Tyrosine; D002217:Carbachol; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D019832:N-Methylscopolamine