title: Gbeta residues that do not interact with Galpha underlie agonist-independent activity of K+ channels.
abstract: Gbetagamma subunits interact directly and activate G protein-gated Inwardly Rectifying K(+) (GIRK) channels. Little is known about the identity of functionally important interactions between Gbetagamma and GIRK channels. We tested the effects of all mammalian Gbeta subunits on channel activity and showed that whereas Gbeta1-4 subunits activate heteromeric GIRK channels independently of receptor activation, Gbeta5 does not. Gbeta1 and Gbeta5 both bind the N and C termini of the GIRK1 and GIRK4 channel subunits. Chimeric analysis between the Gbeta1 and Gbeta5 proteins revealed a 90-amino acid stretch that spans blades two and three of the seven-propeller structure and is required for channel activation. Within this region, eight non-conserved amino acids were critical for the activity of Gbeta1, as mutation of each residue to its counterpart in Gbeta5 significantly reduced the ability of Gbeta1 to stimulate channel activity. In particular, mutation of residues Ser-67 and Thr-128 to the corresponding Gbeta5 residues completely abolished Gbeta1 stimulation of GIRK channel activity. Mapping these functionally important residues on the three-dimensional structure of Gbeta1 shows that Ser-67, Ser-98, and Thr-128 are the only surface accessible residues. Galpha(i)1 interacts with Ser-98 but not with Ser-67 and Thr-128 in the heterotrimeric Galphabetagamma structure. Further characterization of the three mutant proteins showed that they fold properly and interact with Ggamma2. Of the three identified functionally important residues, the Ser-67 and Thr-128 Gbeta mutants significantly inhibited basal currents of a channel point mutant that displays Gbetagamma-mediated basal but not agonist-induced currents. Our findings indicate that the presence of Gbeta residues that do not interact with Galpha are involved in Gbetagamma interactions in the absence of agonist stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine of NYU, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: Tooraj
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mirshahi
authors.forename: Liliane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robillard
authors.forename: Hailin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Terence E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Hébert
authors.forename: Diomedes E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Logothetis
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004594:Electrophysiology; D051676:G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; D044387:GTP-Binding Protein beta Subunits; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007313:Insecta; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D012694:Serine / Q000737:chemistry; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013912:Threonine / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D051676:G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; D044387:GTP-Binding Protein beta Subunits; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D013912:Threonine; D012694:Serine; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins