title: Age-related changes in G proteins in rat aorta.
abstract: Blood vessels from aged animals and humans have impaired relaxation to beta-adrenergic stimulation. We hypothesized that a loss of stimulatory G protein (Gs) or an increase in inhibitory G proteins (Gi) could explain this impairment. Aortic membranes from Fischer 344 rats of 4 age groups (6 week to 24 month) were studied. G-protein levels were initially assessed using cholera and pertussis toxin labeling. There was a marked decline in cholera toxin labeling (which primarily labels Gs alpha) from 6 weeks to 6 months which persisted in 12-month and 24-month animals. Pertussis toxin labeling (which primarily labels Gi alpha) showed only a slight decline with age. Western blotting was performed using specific antibodies for the alpha subunit of Gs, Gi1&2, Gi3, and G beta. There was no significant change in Gs alpha, Gi alpha, or G beta protein levels with age. We conclude there is a loss of cholera toxin-catalyzed ADP ribosylation with age, which does not represent a loss of the stimulatory alpha subunit of G protein. These data suggest that the loss of cholera toxin labeling seen with age may be a marker for loss of Gs alpha function.
authors.affiliation: VA Medical Center and Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Mader
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Downing
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Amos-Landgraf
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Swebjka
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000737:chemistry*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000378:metabolism; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins