title: Direct binding of G-protein betagamma complex to voltage-dependent calcium channels.
abstract: Voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels play a central role in controlling neurotransmitter release at the synapse. They can be inhibited by certain G-protein-coupled receptors, acting by a pathway intrinsic to the membrane. Here we show that this inhibition results from a direct interaction between the G-protein betagamma complex and the pore-forming alpha1 subunits of several types of these channels. The interaction is mediated by the cytoplasmic linker connecting the first and second transmembrane repeats. Within this linker, binding occurs both in the alpha1 interaction domain (AID), which also mediates the interaction between the alpha1 and beta subunits of the channel, and in a second downstream sequence. Further analysis of the binding site showed that several amino-terminal residues in the AID are critical for Gbetagamma binding, defining a site distinct from the carboxy-terminal residues shown to be essential for binding the beta-subunit of the Ca2+ channel. Mutation of an arginine residue within the N-terminal motif abolished betagamma binding and rendered the channel refractory to G-protein modulation when expressed in Xenopus oocytes, showing that the interaction is indeed responsible for G-protein-dependent modulation of Ca2+ channel activity.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Waard
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: V E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gurnett
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004594:Electrophysiology; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins