title: Palmitoylation of a conserved cysteine in the regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) domain modulates the GTPase-activating activity of RGS4 and RGS10.
abstract: RGS4 and RGS10 expressed in Sf9 cells are palmitoylated at a conserved Cys residue (Cys(95) in RGS4, Cys(66) in RGS10) in the regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) domain that is also autopalmitoylated when the purified proteins are incubated with palmitoyl-CoA. RGS4 also autopalmitoylates at a previously identified cellular palmitoylation site, either Cys(2) or Cys(12). The C2A/C12A mutation essentially eliminates both autopalmitoylation and cellular [(3)H]palmitate labeling of Cys(95). Membrane-bound RGS4 is palmitoylated both at Cys(95) and Cys(2/12), but cytosolic RGS4 is not palmitoylated. RGS4 and RGS10 are GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) for the G(i) and G(q) families of G proteins. Palmitoylation of Cys(95) on RGS4 or Cys(66) on RGS10 inhibits GAP activity 80-100% toward either Galpha(i) or Galpha(z) in a single-turnover, solution-based assay. In contrast, when GAP activity was assayed as acceleration of steady-state GTPase in receptor-G protein proteoliposomes, palmitoylation of RGS10 potentiated GAP activity >/=20-fold. Palmitoylation near the N terminus of C95V RGS4 did not alter GAP activity toward soluble Galpha(z) and increased G(z) GAP activity about 2-fold in the vesicle-based assay. Dual palmitoylation of wild-type RGS4 remained inhibitory. RGS protein palmitoylation is thus multi-site, complex in its control, and either inhibitory or stimulatory depending on the RGS protein and its sites of palmitoylation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9041, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Popov
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Slaughter
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D019308:Palmitic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D020710:RGS Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018411:Spodoptera
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; D020710:RGS Proteins; C101113:RGS10 protein, human; C098799:RGS4 protein; D019308:Palmitic Acid; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D003545:Cysteine