title: Beta(2)-adrenergic receptor lacking the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase consensus sites fully activates extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in human embryonic kidney 293 cells: lack of evidence for G(s)/G(i) switching.
abstract: Stimulation of the beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR) in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells causes a transient activation of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase (ERK) 1/2. One of the mechanisms proposed for this activation is a PKA-mediated phosphorylation of the beta(2)AR that switches receptor coupling from G(s) to G(i) and triggers internalization of the receptor. To examine these phenomena, we characterized agonist activation of ERK1/2 in HEK293 cells by the endogenous beta(2)AR and in HEK293 cells stably overexpressing either the wild-type beta(2)AR or a substitution mutant beta(2)AR (PKA(-)) that lacks the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) consensus phosphorylation sites (S261A, S262A and S345A, S346A). As the baseline, we established that epinephrine stimulation of the endogenous beta(2)AR in HEK293 cells (20-30 fmol/mg) caused a rapid and transient activation of ERK1/2 with an EC(50) of 5 to 6 nM. In contrast, the potency of epinephrine stimulation of ERK1/2 in cells stably overexpressing WTbeta(2)AR and PKA(-) (2-4 pmol of beta(2)AR/mg) was increased by over 100-fold relative to HEK293 cells, the EC(50) values being 20 to 60 pM. The nearly identical 100-fold shift in EC(50) for ERK1/2 activation in the PKA(-) and WTbeta(2)AR relative to that in the HEK293 showed that the PKA(-) are fully capable of activating ERK1/2. We also found maximal activation of ERK1/2 in the overexpressing cell lines at concentrations of epinephrine that cause no internalization (i.e., the EC(50) for internalization was 75 nM). Pertussis toxin pretreatment caused only a weak inhibition of epinephrine activation of ERK1/2 in the HEK293 (7-16%) and no inhibition in the PKA(-) cells. Finally we found that the Src family kinase inhibitor 4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine (10 microM) caused a >90% inhibition of epinephrine or forskolin activation of ERK1/2 in both cell lines. Our results indicate that the dominant mechanism of beta(2)AR activation of ERK1/2 does not require PKA phosphorylation of the beta(2)AR, receptor internalization or switching from activation of G(s) to G(i) but clearly requires activation of a Src family member that may be downstream of PKA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas 77225, USA.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Bonita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D058666:Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019206:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go / Q000378:metabolism; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs / Q000378:metabolism; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D037342:Pertussis Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D018343:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C412373:AG 1879; D058666:Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists; D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D011743:Pyrimidines; D018343:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D037342:Pertussis Toxin; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019206:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs; D004837:Epinephrine