title: The human histamine H2-receptor couples more efficiently to Sf9 insect cell Gs-proteins than to insect cell Gq-proteins: limitations of Sf9 cells for the analysis of receptor/Gq-protein coupling.
abstract: The human histamine H2-receptor (hH2R) couples to Gs-proteins to activate adenylyl cyclase and to Gq-proteins to activate phospholipase C, but phospholipase C activation has not consistently been observed. The aim of this study was to compare coupling of hH2R to insect and mammalian Gs- and Gq-proteins in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. Interaction of hH2R with mammalian G proteins was assessed with coexpressed proteins or receptor-Galpha fusion proteins that enhance coupling efficiency. hH2R efficiently coupled to insect Gs-proteins to activate adenylyl cyclase. However, hH2R poorly coupled to insect Gq-proteins as assessed by the lack of enhancement of histamine-stimulated steady-state GTP hydrolysis by regulators of G protein signaling (RGS proteins). In contrast, RGS-proteins efficiently enhanced GTP hydrolysis stimulated by the human platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR) and the histamine H1-receptor (H1R) from man and guinea pig. The measurement of intracellular free Ca2+ concentration was not useful for studying receptor/Gq-protein coupling. hH2R also efficiently interacted with mammalian Gs-proteins, specifically with fused Gsalpha as assessed by guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPgammaS)-sensitive high-affinity agonist binding, agonist-stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS binding and adenylyl cyclase activation. In contrast, coupling of hH2R to coexpressed and fused mammalian Gqalpha was poor. However, our inability to reconstitute efficient coupling of PAFR and H1R to mammalian Gqalpha indicated that a large portion of the expressed G protein was functionally inactive. Taken together, our data show that hH2R couples more efficiently to insect cell Gs-proteins than to insect cell Gq-proteins. Unfortunately, there are significant limitations in the usefulness of Sf9 cells for comparing the coupling of receptors to mammalian Gs- and Gq-proteins and assessing Gq-mediated activation of effector systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Houston
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wenzel-Seifert
authors.forename: Tilmann
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bürckstümmer
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seifert
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs / Q000378:metabolism*; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate) / Q000378:metabolism; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006632:Histamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000502:physiology; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D011970:Receptors, Histamine H2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018411:Spodoptera; D013379:Substrate Specificity / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011970:Receptors, Histamine H2; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate); D006632:Histamine; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases