title: RGS8 accelerates G-protein-mediated modulation of K+ currents.
abstract: Transmembrane signal transduction via heterotrimeric G proteins is reported to be inhibited by RGS (regulators of G-protein signalling) proteins. These RGS proteins work by increasing the GTPase activity of G protein alpha-subunits (G alpha), thereby driving G proteins into their inactive GDP-bound form. However, it is not known how RGS proteins regulate the kinetics of physiological responses that depend on G proteins. Here we report the isolation of a full-length complementary DNA encoding a neural-tissue-specific RGS protein, RGS8, and the determination of its function. We show that RGS8 binds preferentially to the alpha-subunits G(alpha)o and G(alpha)i3 and that it functions as a GTPase-activating protein (GAP). When co-expressed in Xenopus oocytes with a G-protein-coupled receptor and a G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K+ channel (GIRK1/2), RGS8 accelerated not only the turning off but also the turning on of the GIRK1/2 current upon receptor stimulation, without affecting the dose-response relationship. We conclude that RGS8 accelerates the modulation of G-protein-coupled channels and is not just a simple negative regulator. This property of RGS8 may be crucial for the rapid regulation of neuronal excitability upon stimulation of G-protein-coupled receptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, Japan. osaito@tmin.ac.jp
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyatani
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakata
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004926:Escherichia coli; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D011188:Potassium